2021 Georgia Southern
3–9 (2–6 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Chad Lunsford, then Kevin Whitley (interim, final 8 games). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Arkansas State 59–33Oct 2
By 26 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Florida Atlantic 6–38Sep 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs Gardner-Webb | W 30–25 | 88% |
| Sep 11 | at Florida Atlantic | L 6–38 | 48% |
| Sep 18 | at 20Arkansas | L 10–45 | 42% |
| Sep 25 | vs Louisiana | L 20–28 | 38% |
| Oct 2 | vs Arkansas State | W 59–33 | 64% |
| Oct 9 | at Troy | L 24–27 | 46% |
| Oct 14 | at South Alabama | L 14–41 | 49% |
| Oct 30 | vs Georgia State | L 14–21 | 52% |
| Nov 6 | vs 21Coastal Carolina | L 8–28 | 27% |
| Nov 13 | at Texas State | W 38–30 | 51% |
| Nov 20 | vs 14BYU | L 17–34 | 26% |
| Nov 27 | at App State | L 3–27 | 13% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to App State 27–3; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 18th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 38 on file).
- Record
- 3–9
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 7th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 243–377
- Coach
- Chad Lunsford, then Kevin Whitley (interim, final 8 games)
- Elo
- 1408 −134 this season
- SP+ rating
- -15.3 No. 117 of 130; offense No. 121, defense No. 110
- SRS
- −15.8 No. 120 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 48% of last season’s EPA, No. 108 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 92 roster talent No. 109 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Doug Ruse
- Defensive coordinator
- Scot Sloan
- Offense
- Pistol
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.02 | 36% | 1.33 | 118th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.23 | 44% | 1.35 | 103rd of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.04 off 0.20 def | 38% off 44% def | — | 118th off 106th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.7 | own 28 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 28 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -9.6, 100th of 130 (offense -5.3, defense 4.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Justin Tomlin QB | 977 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Cam Ransom QB | 3 TD |
| Rushing yards | Logan Wright RB | 793 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Logan Wright RB | 8 TD |
| Receiving yards | Khaleb Hood WR | 497 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Beau Johnson TE | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Anthony Wilson S | 77 tkl |
| Sacks | C.J. Wright NT | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Eldrick Robinson II LB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| Myzel Williams S | ★★★ | No. 1157 |
| Derwin Burgess Jr. WR | ★★★ | No. 1183 |
| Mike Edwards III LB | ★★★ | No. 1491 |
| Cam’Ron Ransom QB | ★★★ | No. 1589 |
| Tyrell Davis S | ★★★ | No. 1704 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.836 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.851 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.817 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.809 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 2.7 | 0.809 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.836 |
| Athletes and specialists | 4 | 2.5 | 0.795 |
| Whole class | 20 | 2.9 | 0.815 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 127
The 2021 roster127 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 68 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 4
The 2021 portal James Graham QB | ★★★ | from  Georgia Tech |
 Amare Jones RB | ★★★ | from  Tulane |
 Andrew Johnson LB | ★★★ | from  Oregon |
 Khadry Jackson LB | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
Transfers out 14
 Kenderick Duncan Jr. S | ★★★ | to  Louisville |
| David Spaulding CB | ★★★ | to  South Carolina |
| Reynard Ellis LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Anthony Dinkins-McCall ATH | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Anthony Fieldings CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Darion Anderson WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Elijah Campbell Jr. DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jallah Zeze Jr. WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jordan Mitchell DE | ★★★ | to  Texas State |
| Treun Pace CB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jaden Moreland CB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Matt LaRoche RB | ★★ | returned to  Georgia Southern |
And 2 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2021 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 8–0 | 13–1 | 16 |
| App State | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 6–2 | 11–2 | |
| Georgia State | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
| Troy | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Texas State | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| South Alabama | 2–6 | 5–7 | |
 UL Monroe | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Georgia Southern | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Arkansas State | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.