Head Coach: Clay Helton is entering his 3rd year with Georgia Southern and has a 12-14 record with the Eagles. It was impressive how quickly he transformed the program from an option team to pass heavy team but both of his prior seasons have followed the same pattern where they started strong but fizzled at the finish, they will be hoping to stick the landing this time around.
Program Outlook: Georgia Southern is a program with a rich tradition of winning, they expect to be at the top of the Sun Belt as a result, but it’s been a tough road trying to get back to that level especially because they’re trying to separate from the triple option identity the program originally had. It’s a long road but the Eagles have shown the potential to get there.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Georgia Southern is near middle of the road in returning production. Among those gone is QB Davis Brin and I have to take a moment to give an ode to one of the wildest passers we’ve ever seen. He was explosive and could sling it all over the field but wow when he threw picks, he threw them in droves, throwing 19 picks in total. Brin had amazing games against Ball State, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State, but he had rough moments too, Georgia Southern led Wisconsin in the 3rd quarter but a litany of turnovers in the 3rd quarter cost them the game, there was also the App State game and the bowl game. Georgia Southern is going to be hard pressed to find a QB who’s good is as good as Brin’s was but hopefully they can avoid the turnovers too. Indiana transfer Dexter Williams is the favorite to win the job, if College Football 25 is any indication he’s going to be really good, but in real life he showed he can move and has some potential. Georgia Southern will once again have one of the best receiving units in the conference despite losing one of the nation’s leading receivers in Khaleb Hood, they still have guys like Derwin Burgess and Dalen Cobb to pick up the slack. Despite all the talk about the passing game, the Eagles can run the ball too they have a good group of backs led by Jalen White and it will be interesting to see how the mobile Dexter Williams factors in. Georgia Southern’s defense could be primed for a big jump, there’s a lot of experience back and of course not being put in bad positions by the offense will help too. The Eagles return a defensive line that can get in the backfield against the run but hasn’t been as impactful getting after opposing QBs, they have a preseason All-Sun Belt stud in linebacker Marques Watson-Trent, but they need to sort out who will help out next to him. Georgia Southern has a question mark at corner, they hit the portal to get more options there, but at least the safeties are strength and will prevent things from getting too messy back there. Really this team can improve a lot if they slow down on the penalties and other self inflicted wounds.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule is pretty rough. The Eagles open the season against a Boise State team that has a lot of hype, it does get easier with games against Nevada who is rebuilding and South Carolina State who is also starting over after the retirement of the legendary Buddy Pough. A loaded Ole Miss team wraps up the non-conference slate. The Sun Belt schedule is always going to be tough because the Eagles are in the loaded East division, and the draw of Troy/South Alabama from the west isn’t the easiest draw either.
Vegas Projection: Georgia Southern’s win total is set at 5.5 with the odds geared toward the under. Vegas sees them missing a bowl entirely…yikes. The schedule is tough, but I’m not sure if they’ll fail to reach 6 wins, it’s an over I have my eyes on.
2024 Best Case: Georgia Southern’s offense hits the ground running yet again but this time without the turnovers. They open the reason with a huge statement victory over Boise State that turns heads around the sport, and they keep that momentum to a 3-0 start before a competitive loss to Ole Miss. The Eagles don’t lose momentum, they crush despised Georgia State beat Marshall and even take down James Madison. The Eagles win 3 of the next 4 to stay in Sun Belt title contention before taking down hated rival Appalachian State in “Deeper Than Hate” to finish off the regular season at 10-2. They face off with Texas State in the Sun Belt championship and take down the Bobcats to finally return to the top of the Sun Belt. Georgia Southern caps off the great year with a bowl win and 12-2 record. It’s clear their time to reign in the Sun Belt is here.
2024 Worst Case: Things bottom out, the turnovers get worse not better and without the same passing production they had the year before. They never stand a chance against Boise State losing in a blowout, but it’s really apparent things are wrong when they turn it over 5 times in a loss at Nevada. They limp into a battle with Georgia State at 1-3 and fall behind 21-0 quick in yet another blowout. The schedule gets no easier and the wins don’t come as the Eagles plummet all the way to 1-11. The only reason Georgia State doesn’t win the conference is because Appalachian State does, with an undefeated record. Even worse all Georgia Southern fans can do is watch as hated rival Appalachian State makes waves in the playoff, all while they are once again trying to start over.
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