2026 Georgia Southern
3–4 (2–1 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Clay Helton. The season’s Wikipedia article records 2–4, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Charleston Southern 31–0Sep 5
By 31 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to James Madison 24–27Oct 10
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs Charleston Southern | W 31–0 | 87% |
| Sep 12 | at Clemson | L 7–22 | 38% |
| Sep 19 | at Jacksonville State | L 27–31 | 41% |
| Sep 26 | vs 25Houston | L 28–42 | 47% |
| Oct 3 | at Coastal Carolina | W 31–24 | 50% |
| Oct 10 | vs James Madison | L 24–27 | 25% |
| Oct 15 | at Old Dominion | W 23–15 | 38% |
| Oct 31 | vs App State | Preview | 62% |
| Nov 7 | vs Marshall | Preview | 61% |
| Nov 14 | at Georgia State | Preview | 49% |
| Nov 21 | at Troy | Preview | 45% |
| Nov 28 | vs Louisiana Tech | Preview | 57% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
- Record
- 3–4
- Conference
- 2–1 tied for 4th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 171–161
- Coach
- Clay Helton
- Elo
- 1498 −7 this season
- SP+ rating
- -4.6 No. 90 of 138; offense No. 82, defense No. 102, special teams No. 112
- SRS
- −2.5 No. 77 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 6% of last season’s EPA, No. 125 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 89 roster talent No. 78 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Ryan Aplin
- Defensive coordinator
- Mike Mutz
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.13 | 43% | 1.21 | 57th of 138 |
| Defense | 0.11 | 41% | 1.11 | 68th of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.12 off 0.12 def | 42% off 42% def | — | 50th off 81st def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 46% | 7.1 yds | 10% | 3.00 | 16% |
| Defense | 42% | 9.4 yds | 15% | 2.80 | 19% |
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. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.6 | own 27 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 28 | 18% caused |
CORE rating 0.1, 66th of 138 (offense 2.4, defense 2.3).
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 | Max Johnson QB | 1,601 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Max Johnson QB | 11 TD |
| Rushing yards | David Mbadinga RB | 233 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Weston Bryan QB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Alex Taylor WR | 342 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Alex Taylor WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Brandon Tyson LB | 40 tkl |
| Sacks | Anthony Bynum LB | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jakyri Jones DB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Chace Calicut S | ★★★★ | No. 268 |
| Ty Cummings RB | ★★★ | No. 1030 |
| Jayden Jackson ATH | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| J.Q. Crosby TE | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Dariyon Gordon CB | ★★★ | No. 1754 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.872 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.845 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 3.2 | 0.860 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.860 |
| Whole class | 21 | 3.0 | 0.849 |
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 122
The 2026 roster122 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 17
The 2026 portal Alex Taylor WR | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
 Kam Mikell WR | ★★★ | from  Colorado |
 Rashon Myles Jr. LB | ★★★ | from  Abilene Christian |
 Aaron Sears CB | ★★★ | from  Stephen F. Austin |
 Mo Clipper Jr. OL | ★★★ | from  Charlotte |
| Noah Mangham CB | ★★★ | from Abilene Christian |
 Andre Greene Jr. WR | ★★★ | from  Virginia |
 Josh Raymond OL | ★★★ | from  Florida State |
| King Phillips WR | ★★★ | from Texas A&M–Kingsville |
 Noble Johnson WR | ★★★ | from  Arizona State |
 Anthony Bynum DE | ★★★ | from  Middle Tennessee |
 Cam’Ron King WR | ★★★ | from  Auburn |
And 5 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 18
 J.C. French QB | ★★★ | to  Cincinnati |
| Amari Wilson DE | ★★★ | to  Southern Miss |
| Caleb Cook OL | ★★★ | to  South Florida |
| Chandler Strong OL | ★★★ | to  North Texas |
| Johnni Brown OL | ★★★ | to  Louisville |
| Robert Wright Jr. OT | ★★★ | to  Michigan State |
| Davion Rhodes DE | ★★★ | to North Texas |
| Dylan Gary WR | ★★★ | to  Kennesaw State |
| Carmelo Mays WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Da’Shawn Davis DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Devan Lowe DL | ★★★ | to  Memphis |
| M.J. Stroud DE | ★★★ | returned to  Georgia Southern |
And 6 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 4–0 | 7–0 | |
 South Alabama | 2–0 | 4–2 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–0 | 4–2 | |
 Louisiana | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
| Georgia Southern | 2–1 | 3–4 | |
| Georgia State | 1–1 | 4–2 | |
| App State | 1–1 | 4–2 | |
| Troy | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
 Arkansas State | 1–2 | 3–4 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
| Old Dominion | 1–3 | 2–5 | |
| Marshall | 0–2 | 3–3 | |
 Southern Miss | 0–2 | 1–5 | |
 UL Monroe | 0–2 | 0–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.