The Georgia State football program suddenly was in need of a new head coach. On Thursday, Shawn Elliott decided to leave the program and take a job with South Carolina coaching tight ends in a stunning move. On Friday, the Georgia State football program named strength coach Mike Sirignano as its interim coach in a bit of an unorthodox decision, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

‘SOURCE: Georgia State is expected to make head strength coach Mike Sirignano the interim head football coach. Shawn Elliott stepped down yesterday to take a job on staff at South Carolina.'

Sirignano was named the head strength coach in January 2023 after spending three years at Louisville prior. Before going to Louisville, he spent time at Appalachian State, so he has a lot of experience with different programs.

Still, hiring a strength coach as the head coach is a move we don't often see, but Georgia State had to act fast after Elliott's stunning departure. Georgia State had also announced that they were canceling spring practice and the spring game until further notice.

Shawn Elliott's reason for leaving Georgia State

Before Elliott was the head coach at Georgia State, he was an assistant at South Carolina, so returning home he admitted was a “personal” move, per Chris Low of ESPN:

“This was not a professional move, but a personal move,” Elliott told ESPN. “We've made it work for seven years with my family still living in Columbia, and I even thought about not coaching this year. I had promised my daughter that I would be there for her senior year of high school and when this opportunity came up to go back to South Carolina and coach again, it was something I couldn't pass up. I've always loved South Carolina.”

Eliott went 41-44 during his time as the Georgia State football head coach, but with his family in Columbia still, a move back made sense.

All in all, moving from a head coach role to an assistant role is something that has become more and more common, just like Chip Kelly leaving UCLA to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.