One sure tell sign that the football season is right around the corner is the parade of coaches across the country at their respective conferences media days. They feed the masses of fans and media tidbits and updates on their team and some even go so far as to proclaim how “this is the year” for their team. Some coaches over boast their teams, make promises they can’t keep then have to find new ways to make excuses about why they didn’t achieve their goals and expectations.
That is not the case, and probably will never be the case, with Trent Miles. He will proclaim in a very honest fashion where his team is and a realistic expectations of his team. The expectations of his team have evolved over the years. In 2014, the lesson for his team was learning how to win.
Then a year ago, he told the media he advanced them to learning how to win. It took a few games to do so, but that is exactly what his team did. They started out 2-4 in the first half of the season and finished on a tear becoming bowl eligible for the first time in program history with a trip to the Cure Bowl in Orlando. Coach Miles informed the media that the exposure from the Panthers appearance in the Cure Bowl was “huge” for the team and the university. He went on to add that the team now realizes what they are capable of and that they now face a new expectation to return to the bowl season. With the purchase of Turner Field still underway, Miles is very excited about what that will mean for the program, the university and for Atlanta.
This year, the lesson for his team is once again very clear. “Take the next step.” The goal for 2016 for these Georgia State Panthers is to win the SunBelt. As usual, it is a process and a one game approach that starts with the first game vs. Ball State in the Georgia Dome on 9/2.
In addition to his lesson for the 2016 season, Coach Miles was asked about a number of other hot topics related to Georgia State. With the recent success that the Panthers have seen under Coach Miles, he warns that fans must be patient still and that building a power house takes time and it is, as so many other coaches proclaim, a process.
Miles also warns fans and media alike that you don’t replace a record setting like Nick Arbuckle. You find that playmaker and build a system around the talent you have. He knows that the running game must pick up in 2016 in order to help whoever is the next gunslinger that takes snaps for the Panthers. For now, that decision is in a three man race between Scaiffe, Winchester and Manning. He wants them to focus on being their best and not trying to replace Nick Arbuckle.