By JOSH AUBREY

jaubrey@statesboroherald.com

Georgia Southern has been known for its option-oriented attack since Erk Russell began the program in the 1980s. When the Eagles have gone away from that, it hasn’t gone well.

Landing Clay Helton as head coach in 2021 from Southern California was looked at as a huge move for Southern but has yet to pay off with the success that Eagles fans expect. With many weapons returning on offense and eight starters back on defense, the success of the 2024 team likely rests on the quarterback position which Helton said won’t be determined until the end of fall camp.

“I feel like we have now had three recruiting cycles with not a lot of attrition,” Helton said. “I feel like we are three deep in each and every room right now. We have had postseason play in each of the first two seasons and now we are ready to take the next step. I felt like we were in position to win a conference championship last year but we fell short. These guys have a chip on their shoulder.”

After starting the season 6-2, the Eagles finished 6-7 overall, 3-5 Sun Belt (T-5th, East) in 2023.

They have plenty of weapons on offense with running backs Jalen White and O.J. Arnold providing power and speed. They also return two of their top three receivers and all five offensive linemen saw significant time last year. The defensive line is experienced and features two All-Conference performers. Linebacker Marques Watson-Trent is the heart of the defense and could vie for defensive player of the year honors in the Sun Belt.

Offense

On offense the Eagles say goodbye to offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis who left for Alabama. Helton has turned the reigns over to former tight ends coach Ryan Aplin.

Georgia Southern loses quarterback Davis Brin, who was sixth in the nation with 3,781 yards passing. But Brin also led the nation with 19 interceptions, and the Eagles ranked 124 out of 130 D-1 teams in turnover margin, which is something that will have to change.

After two seasons of primarily drop-back quarterbacks, Helton is hoping that a little more diversity may help balance out the offense a bit, as a trio of dual-threat signal callers are battling it out for the starting quarterback spot.

Indiana University transfer Dexter Williams has started on the P-5 level. J.C. French transferred to Georgia Southern from Memphis, but saw limited playing time last season. Redshirt sophomore David Dallas is a three-star recruit, but hasn’t played football in two years due to injuries.

"It’s been really neat to watch the competition in the quarterback room,” Helton said. “They have all taken turns but it’s about which guy is playing the best in the moment. It’s going to be the guy who produces the most at the moment and we still have a way to go.”

One area the Eagles are strong is running back, where they return leading rusher White. White missed the last two games of the season, but had nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and scored 10 touchdowns. Junior O.J. Arnold is the lightning to White’s thunder and had more than 500 yards of total offense with four touchdowns.

The wide receiver room also is deep, led by senior Derwin Burgess, who was second on the team with 74 catches, going for 813 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. He’s joined by junior Dalen Cobb, who caught 40 passes for 601 yards and two scores, and Oklahoma transfer L.V. Bunkley-Shelton.

Defense

On defense, Brandon Bailey is the second defensive coordinator in as many years under Helton and got a late jump on the 2023 season. With a full year under his belt and some talented players returning, the defense expects to see improvement in 2024.

Marques Watson-Trent anchors a defense that was ranked No. 13 in the nation on stopping third-down conversions, but after a good start to the season, the Eagles defense gave up over 30 ppg.

Watson-Trent was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection and an All-American honorable mention. He lines up alongside Davon Gilmore, who played in all 13 games with 13 tackles and 3 for loss. Marc Stampley is the nickel in Bailey’s defense and started 10 games in 2023 with 56 tackles.

Latrell Bullard, is a 6-1, 340-pound defensive lineman (26 tackles, 3 for loss) who helps anchor a defensive line that returns all four starters. He is joined by Davion Rhodes (39 tackles, 5 for loss), Justin Rhodes (38 tackles, 13 for loss), and Isaac Walker (24 tackles, 8.5 for loss and 6 sacks. Rhodes and Walker were both All-Sun Belt selections last year.

T.J. Smith, who was an All-Sun Belt selection in 2023 with 52 tackles and 3 interceptions, leads the Eagle secondary. Cornerback Dorian Smith is in his first year at Georgia Southern, having transferred from Northeast Mississippi CC where he had 22 tackles and an interception. The other corner is Kennesaw State transfer Chance Gamble. Safety Cam Williams transferred from Washington in 2022 and played in five games for the Eagles last year with 15 tackles.

Special Teams

On special teams, the Eagles lost starting kicker Michael Lantz after the spring, as he decided to transfer to Helton’s old team, the USC Trojans. Lantz was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection and will be tough to replace. The Eagles were able to land a kicker through the transfer portal, as they got former Benedictine (Savannah) standout Gavin Stewart, who transferred from Georgia Tech. Stewart is a 5th year senior who was 8-8 on field goal attempts at Tech and had 40 touchbacks on 62 kick offs. The Eagles do return Aussie punter Alex Smith who averaged over 40 yards per punt with 18 downed inside the 20-yard line.

Newcomers

Among the top newcomers are quarterback Dexter Williams and tight end Tyler Fromm. Williams comes from Indiana University where he had two starts and showed flashes of brilliance as a dual threat, before a knee injury against Purdue ended his season. Fromm, the younger brother of former UGA quarterback Jake Fromm, is a transfer from Auburn and at 6-5, 245 pounds provides size and pass catching abilities who could help the Eagles in the RPO.

The Eagles have talent, but the biggest question mark is who is going lead the offense on the field. The quarterback position being a three-man race could be concerning if there is no separation in the fall. Williams seems to have the biggest upside as he is the only one with real D-1 experience, but has had ACL surgery on both knees. The Eagles also have to prevent another late season swoon. They lost four of their last five games in 2022, and lost five straight to end the 2023 campaign.

2024 depth chart

Offense

QB – 9 Dexter Williams 6-2 210 Sr., QB 10 David Dallas 6-0 200 So., QB 12 J.C. French 6-1 205 So.

RB – 25 Jalen White* 6-0 215 Sr.

WR – 2 Derwin Burgess Jr.* 5-11 190 Sr.

WR – 17 Dalen Cobb* 5-10 195 Jr.

WR – 4 LV Bunkley-Shelton 5-11 200 Sr.

TE – 7 Tyler Fromm 6-5 245 Sr.

LT – 64 Caelan Williams 6-7 300 Sr.

LG – 74 Pichon Wimbley* 6-2 310 Jr.

C – 57 Chandler Strong* 6-3 290 So.

RG – 78 Caleb Cook 6-3 310 Jr.

RT – 75 Bryson Broadway 6-5 290 Sr.

Defense

DE – 91 Davion Rhodes* 6-2 235 Jr.

DT – 88 Justin Rhodes* 6-0 280 Sr.

DT – 57 Latrell Bullard* 6-1 340 Jr.

DE – 13 Isaac Walker* 6-2 225 Jr.

LB – 1 Marques Watson-Trent* 5-11 225 Sr.

LB – 15 Davon Gilmore* 6-3 250 Sr.

CB – 23 Dorrian Smith 6-0 185 Jr.

CB – 31 Chance Gamble 6-2 180 Jr.

DB – 22 Marc Stampley* 5-11 180 Jr.

S – 5 T.J. Smith* 5-9 185 Sr.

S – 6 Cam Williams 6-0 210 Sr.

Kickers

K – 88 Gavin Stewart 5-11 180 Sr.

P – 90 Alex Smith* 6-6 215 So.