Georgia State freshman quarterback Mikele Colasurdo has opted out of the 2020 season due to a heart condition that developed after he contracted COVID-19 during the offseason. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder from Chapman High School in Inman, South Carolina, announced his decision in a post on Twitter.
"I am very thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed for me," he wrote. "I am also incredibly thankful for coach [Shawn] Elliott and trainer Bob [Murphy] for providing a safe environment for us to train and practice. Ultimately it was the procedures and tests set forth by GSU that allowed the doctors to find this condition in my heart and help keep me safe. I am very thankful."
Colasurdo was a three-star prospect in the most recent recruiting class and enrolled this spring in the hopes of pushing for playing time for the Panthers.
1 Corinthians 2:5 pic.twitter.com/KSIRALqfY0
— Mikele Colasurdo (@mikelecolasurdo) August 20, 2020
This isn't the end of Colasurdo's career with the Panthers. It could be just the beginning.
"I can't wait to watch my team compete this fall and I could not be more excited to return for the 2021 season," he wrote. "Go Panthers!"
He did not specify the heart condition that he developed from COVID-19. Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that has been linked to viral infections including COVID-19, has become one of the factors and concerns facing conference commissioners and presidents as the weigh the decision to play this fall or spring.
Georgia State, which is part of the Sun Belt, is slated to kick off its 10-game 2020 season at home on Saturday, Sept. 19 against Louisiana. It can add up to two more conference games per guidelines set forth by the Sun Belt.
