2024 Georgia Southern
8–5 (6–2 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Clay Helton. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat South Carolina State 42–14Sep 14
By 28 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat South Alabama 34–30Nov 2
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Boise State | L 45–56 | 42% |
| Sep 7 | at Nevada | W 20–17 | 55% |
| Sep 14 | vs South Carolina State | W 42–14 | 80% |
| Sep 21 | at 5Ole Miss | L 13–52 | 18% |
| Sep 28 | at Georgia State | W 38–21 | 37% |
| Oct 12 | vs Marshall | W 24–23 | 57% |
| Oct 19 | vs James Madison | W 28–14 | 34% |
| Oct 24 | at Old Dominion | L 19–47 | 52% |
| Nov 2 | at South Alabama | W 34–30 | 34% |
| Nov 16 | vs Troy | L 20–28 | 62% |
| Nov 23 | at Coastal Carolina | W 26–6 | 44% |
| Nov 30 | vs App State | W 29–20 | 60% |
| Dec 19Bowls & playoff | vs Sam HoustonNew Orleans Bowl | L 26–31 | 58% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Sam Houston 31–26 in the New Orleans Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 38 on file).
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 6–2 3rd in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 364–359
- Coach
- Clay Helton
- Elo
- 1530 +64 this season
- SP+ rating
- -1.7 No. 76 of 134; offense No. 72, defense No. 90, special teams No. 8
- SRS
- −2.5 No. 81 of 134 in FBS
- Returning
- 41% of last season’s EPA, No. 76 of 133
- Recruiting class
- No. 91 roster talent No. 105 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Ryan Aplin
- Defensive coordinator
- Brandon Bailey
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.10 | 42% | 1.25 | 70th of 134 |
| Defense | 0.18 | 47% | 1.30 | 98th of 134 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.11 off 0.15 def | 42% off 47% def | — | 69th off 95th 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 | 4.6 | own 28 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 3.8 | own 33 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -5.6, 85th of 134 (offense -2.0, defense 3.6).
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 | J.C. French QB | 2,831 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | J.C. French QB | 17 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jalen White RB | 745 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jalen White RB | 14 TD |
| Receiving yards | Derwin Burgess Jr. WR | 659 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Josh Dallas WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Marques Watson-Trent LB | 118 tkl |
| Sacks | Davion Rhodes DL | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Chance Gamble DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2024 class
| Nasir Smith DL | ★★★ | No. 817 |
| Devin Collier S | ★★★ | No. 1315 |
| Taeo Todd ATH | ★★★ | No. 1682 |
| Keon Davis WR | ★★★ | No. 1752 |
| Antavious Murphy WR | ★★★ | No. 2015 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2024 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.823 |
| Receivers | 5 | 2.8 | 0.820 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.807 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.823 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.829 |
| Whole class | 20 | 2.9 | 0.825 |
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 124
The 2024 roster124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2024 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 12
The 2024 portal Tyler Fromm TE | ★★★ | from  Auburn |
 L.V. Bunkley-Shelton WR | ★★★ | from  Oklahoma |
 Deontre Morris S | ★★★ | from  Kennesaw State |
 Dexter Williams II QB | ★★★ | from  Indiana |
 Davon Hicks LB | ★★★ | from  Washington State |
| Chance Gamble CB | ★★★ | from Kennesaw State |
 Justin Kanyuk OT | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
| Kyle Frazier OL | ★★★ | from Savannah State |
 Ethan Pouncey CB | ★★★★ | from  Florida |
| Chance Carroll OL | ★★ | from North Carolina |
 Dominic Boyd OT | from  Alabama State | |
 T.J. Hartley K | from  Austin Peay |
Transfers out 19
 Rasheed Miller OT | ★★★ | to  Louisville |
| Beau Allen QB | ★★★ | to  Kentucky |
| Seth Robertson CB | ★★★ | to  App State |
| Jaylon Barden WR | ★★★★ | to  Samford |
| Coby Walton QB | ★★★ | to  Tennessee Tech |
| T.J. Smith S | ★★★ | returned to  Georgia Southern |
| Tarian Lee Jr. LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jalen Jackson LB | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Kierron Smith DL | ★★ | to  Tennessee State |
| Michael Lantz K | ★★ | to  USC |
| Myles Winslow DL | ★★ | to  McNeese |
| Chase Dial-Watson S | no new school on file |
And 7 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2024 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
 Louisiana | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Georgia Southern | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
 Arkansas State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 Texas State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| South Alabama | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| James Madison | 4–4 | 9–4 | |
| Old Dominion | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
| App State | 3–5 | 5–6 | |
 UL Monroe | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Troy | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Georgia State | 1–7 | 3–9 | |
 Southern Miss | 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.