When Georgia Southern moved from the FCS to the FBS in 2014, the Eagles had immediate success by winning the Sun Belt title. Since then, the Eagles have been highly competitive but have yet to earn that elusive second Sun Belt Championship. This season, the Eagles appear to be a major threat.
While fellow East Division foe James Madison is viewed as the favorite to win the Sun Belt, Georgia Southern should be a major contender.
After three straight losing seasons, Georgia Southern reversed the trend with last year’s 8-5 record. The season ended with a 31-26 loss to Sam Houston in the New Orleans Bowl.
Georgia Southern Football’s Sun Belt Title Betting Odds
Georgia Southern’s odds to win the Sun Belt are +750, via BetMGM.
Georgia Southern Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Georgia Southern’s win total Over/Under is 7.5.
- The Under is at -145.
- The Over is at +120.
Georgia Southern Football’s 2025 Schedule
- 8/30 at Fresno State
- 9/6 at USC
- 9/13 vs Jacksonville State
- 9/20 vs Maine
- 9/27 at James Madison
- 10/9 vs Southern Mississippi
- 10/18 vs Georgia State
- 10/25 at Arkansas State
- 11/6 at Appalachian State
- 11/15 vs Coastal Carolina
- 11/22 vs Old Dominion
- 11/29 at Marshall
Bold indicates SBC contests
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Key Georgia Southern Football Returners
2024 All-Sun Belt 2nd Team
CB Chance Gamble
3rd Team
OL Caleb Cook
OL Pichon Wimbley
Honorable Mention
LB Brendan Harrington (at App State)
Georgia Southern Season Preview
Georgia Southern has the luxury of welcoming back a returning starter at quarterback.
Redshirt junior JC French IV, who began his career at Memphis, completed a school-record 65.6% of his passes for 2,831 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions last season for the Eagles. He also rushed for 239 yards and two scores.
Georgia Southern’s Skill Players & Offensive Line
There are strong skill position players on this team. A returning starter on offense is wide receiver Dalen Cobb, who had 52 receptions for 599 yards and four touchdowns. Another experienced receiver is Josh Dallas, who appeared in 13 games last season with two starts. He had 46 receptions for 614 yards and a team-high six touchdowns.
Last season, OJ Arnold rushed for 316 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. He will look to have a bigger role this year.
Also in the running for carries is David Mbadinga, who appeared in all 13 games and rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns.
One of the strengths is the veteran offensive line. Guard Caleb Cook appeared in 13 games, making 12 starts. Fellow guard Pichon Wimbley started all 13 games. Both Cook and Wimbley earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors. Center Chandler Strong made nine appearances with six starts. Also at center is Chance Carroll, who appeared in 13 games and made seven starts.
There will be new starters at tackle. The leading candidates are Caelan Williams, now in his sixth year with the program, and Robert Wright Jr. Williams appeared in 13 games last season with two starts. Wright missed last season due to injury.
Georgia Southern Returns Standout Players
The defensive line is led by tackle Latrell Bullard, who started 11 of 13 games and contributed 35 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss. Defensive end Davion Rhodes played in all 13 games with seven starts. He had 23 tackles, including six tackles for loss and three sacks.
Seventh-year linebacker Brendan Harrington is a welcome addition from App State, where he had a team-high 66 tackles and was an All-Sun Belt honorable mention. He could be the top linebacker on the team.
There are three others competing for time at the other linebacker spot. Davon Hicks appeared in 10 games last season for the Eagles, making four starts. He recorded 43 tackles. Brandon Tyson is a transfer from Elon, where he made 14 starts over the previous two years for the Phoenix. Redshirt freshman CJ Allen Jr. appeared in two games last season for the Eagles.
The secondary is experienced.
Nickelback Ayden Jackson made nine starts in 11 games last year for Georgia Southern. He had 35 tackles and one pass breakup. Safety Justin Meyers played 10 games with seven starts and placed third on the team with 61 tackles. Cornerback Chance Gamble had 48 tackles, three interceptions, and eight pass breakups in 10 games, earning second-team All-Sun Belt honors.
Georgia Southern Football Season Prediction
I like the Eagles to win the Sun Belt Conference title and to earn eight wins.
It won’t be easy, especially since the first Sun Belt game is at conference favorite James Madison. As for the win total, so much depends on how the Eagles fare in their first three non-conference games.
Opening on the road at Fresno State and USC is difficult, and then the Eagles host defending Conference USA champion Jacksonville State. If the Eagles could go 2-1 in the first three matchups, they can have some real momentum (after a fourth non-league game against Maine) to tackle the difficult Sun Belt season.
An experienced quarterback with good skill position players should make the Eagles a strong offensive team, and adding Harrington at linebacker should be a major boost for the defense.
