The Sports Inquirer

Georgia State opened its third spring practice under head coach Trent Miles with a spirited workout Monday morning, the first of 15 sessions this spring that will culminate with the April 11 #PantherFamily Day and spring scrimmage at Panthersville.

“They came out, they were spirited, and they flew around, so it was a good first day,” Miles said. “We’re not where we want to be yet because our expectation level is a lot higher than what we showed today, but it’s a good start. Their hearts and minds are in the right place.”

For Miles, perhaps the best aspect of this spring is the number of bodies on the field. The Panthers have the majority of their 2015 roster already on campus and participating in spring practice, including 50 returning letterwinners and all but nine of the 2015 signees.

“I see a lot of numbers out there and some better execution than in the past,” Miles said. “I see guys who have a very good grasp of what we’re asking them to do, and very few turnovers. That’s a good start to the spring.”

One of the areas of emphasis for the Panthers is to produce an improved running attack as Miles constantly stresses, “We have to be able to run the football.”

After the running back position was decimated by injuries and lack of depth last fall, the Panthers are happy to welcome back Kyler Neal from a season-ending injury while adding junior college transfer Kendrick Dorn and UAB transfer Demarcus Kirk. One more signee, junior college transfer Taz Bateman, will enroll in the summer.

Miles is now serving as the position coach for the running backs.

“We’re excited about the backs we have. I think they can do some good things, as long as they can hang onto the football,” Miles said. “We’ve got some guys to work with in Kyler Neal, Kendrick Dorn and Demarcus Kirk, and then we’ll add Taz Bateman in the summer. We’ll be able to tell a lot more once we put the pads on, but there’s a lot to work with.”

Neal, a sophomore from Dallas, Ga., had 209 yards rushinig and and 107 yards receiving last fall before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game at Washington. He received a medical redshirt and is healthy now.

“It feels great to be back out here,” Neal said. “I’m just trying to get back up to the speed of things. I got a little tired at some points after being out for so long, but it’s getting better and I’m looking forward to the rest of spring.”

Neal is joined in the backfield by Dorn, a 1,000-yard rusher last fall at San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) C.C., and Kirk, a native of Dora, Ala., who redshirted at UAB in 2014.

“We really getting along together,” Neal said. “I’m looking forward to working with these new guys. I’ve been here for two years now, so obviously I have more knowledge of the system, and I’m trying to help them any way I can.”