Kenneth Harrison
Empty Plains
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was fired after losing to Kentucky at home recently.
Freeze was 15-19 in his two-plus seasons at Auburn. He will be owed $15.8 million in buyout money, with no mitigation, after he signed a six-year, $49 million deal to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022.
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn football program,” athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately.”
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was named interim coach of the Tigers.
“It’s my fervent belief that great days are ahead for the Auburn football program,” Freeze wrote in a statement. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this chapter. I love this place, and I’ll carry the friendships with me always.”
Freeze is the eighth Power Four coach to be fired this season. That now makes four open positions in the SEC, which include Florida, Arkansas and LSU. If we are ranking these positions, obviously Arkansas is the worst job. Auburn has to be the second worst behind Florida and LSU. What direction will Auburn move in for their next head coach?
Lane Kiffin is being talked about for every major job opening. He has guided #7 Ole Miss to an 8-1 record so far. Kiffin has been mentioned for the Florida and LSU positions already.
Curt Cignetti (Indiana) is the best coach that we expect to leave for a bigger program. The Hoosiers are having a great season. He has won over 20 games at Indiana and he’s in his second season there. He should be a top candidate but he might consider other Big Ten programs like Penn State or UCLA as his top destination.
Eli Drinkwitz (Mizzou) is another good candidate. He’s a Gus Malzahn disciple and he became the head coach at Missouri in 2020. The Tigers have been very succesful over the past three seasons, including a Cotton Bowl victory and AP Top 10 finish in 2023. They have been in the upper tier of the SEC for most of the season.
Former Penn State coach James Franklin was fired earlier in the season but he still wants to coach. His record at Penn State was 104-45. He cannot win big games but he typically wins against lesser opponents. He also coached at Vanderbilt from 2011-13 with a 24-15 record. He led the Commodores to a bowl game each season.
Auburn used to be a program that would have one great season every few years. Some examples of this are the 1993 team that was 11-0 and finished #4. They were on NCAA probation so they were banned from postseason play.
In 2004, they went 13-0 and finished the season #2. In 2010, they won the national championship and went 14-0. In 2013, they made it to the national championship game but lost to Florida State 34-31. They were 12-2 and finished the season #2.
Their last season with at least ten wins was in 2017 when they finished 10-4. It will be interesting to see who they hire.
Fool’s Gold
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the college football season progresses, more coaches will get fired.
For example, Brian Kelly was just fired at LSU. The #20 Tigers lost at home to #3 Texas A&M on Saturday, 49-25.
Kelly was 34-14 in his tenure at LSU, which was a little over three years. This is a prestigious position that is now available. We know that Penn State, UCLA, Arkansas and Florida are also looking for a new head coach.
A name that we keep hearing anytime a high-profile position opens up is Lane Kiffin.
As you know, he’s currently at Ole Miss. He just led the #8 Rebels to a road win over #13 Oklahoma, 34-26. They have moved up one spot in this week’s AP Poll.
He has been linked to the Florida job and he addressed his team about that before the game.
“I just mentioned it to them [Friday], Kiffin said. “That’s a product of having a program with a lot of players and coaches doing a really good job. I probably wouldn’t even have mentioned it, because they’ve been through this every year. Probably four years in a row, but we have so many new guys. I just told them, ‘Hey guys, that’s what happens around here because we win games and people like the style that we play in. ‘That’s all a compliment to the players.”
He’s now going to be mentioned for the LSU job but I want to know, is he actually a good fit for these positions?
Kiffin has a checkered past up to this point. He was a head coach for the Oakland Raiders from 2007-08 and he had a 5-15 record. He was fired after a 1-3 start during his second season.
He took over as the head coach at Tennessee in 2009 and went 7-6 in his lone season with the Vols.
Kiffin was an assistant coach at USC from 2002-06. He left Tennessee in January of 2010 for the USC job. Clearly this was a dream job for him at a blue-blood program. The Trojans had recent success during the 2000’s, winning national championships under Pete Carroll.
This should have been a great job for Kiffin but he underperformed. His overall record was 28-15 and he was fired five games into the 2013 season.
His best season was 2011 and his team finished 10-2. Going into the 2012 season the Trojans were ranked #1 in both polls. They finished 7-6.
He accepted the offensive coordinator job at Alabama on January 10, 2014. He held that position for the Crimson Tide from 2014-16.
He accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic and was relieved of his duties as OC in January 2017. Alabama made the College Football Playoffs but they did not want him coaching after he accepted that position.
In three seasons at FAU Kiffin went 26-13. He had a losing record in his second season but he won at least ten games in his first and third season.
He’s been the head coach at Ole Miss since 2020 and his record is 51-19. Kiffin has three 10-win-or-more seasons with Ole Miss.
Kiffin has been around for a long time and he’s had varying degrees of success. I think he will leave Ole Miss for a better job but there are so many to choose from now. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.
Chomped
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Florida Gators won a close game against Mississippi State recently, 23-21.
They improved to 3-4 and are going went bye week before they play #5 Georgia on November 1st.
They fired head coach Billy Napier after the win, which was somewhat surprising.
Firing Napier was inevitable, I’m just surprised it came after a win. The #13 Gators did lose to South Florida at home in Week 2. I thought he would get fired during the season after that unless Florida went on a winning streak.
They followed that up with road loses to #3 LSU and #4 Miami. They did upset #9 Texas at home on October 4th. The next week they lost at #5 Texas A&M, 34-17.
Napier went 22-23 in four seasons at Florida, including 12-16 in SEC play. He was 5-17 against ranked opponents, including 0-14 away from home.
He is the play caller and he would not give that up, despite calls to do so. His record against rivals Georgia, Florida State, Miami, LSU and Tennessee is 3-12.
Napier is the first full-time coach at Florida to finish his tenure with a losing record since Raymond Wolf (1946 to ’49). He was hired in 2021 after going 40-12 in four seasons at Louisiana.
“Making this decision during the open date provides our team valuable time to regroup, refocus, and prepare for the challenges ahead. The timing also allows us to conduct a thoughtful, thorough, and well-informed search for our next head coach. We remain fully committed to utilizing every resource available to identify the right leader to guide Gators Football into the future,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement.
“I will conduct the search with a high degree of confidentiality to protect the privacy of those involved. The search will focus on the hiring of an elite football coach who will embody the standard we have at the University of Florida, and we will continue to provide all of the necessary resources for that coach, his staff and the players to be successful.”
Florida owes Napier roughly $21 million, with half of that buyout due within 30 days.
The rest will be spread over three annual installments beginning next summer, meaning that, since the Gators are still paying former coach Dan Mullen, they will be paying three head coaches for the second time in seven years once they hire Napier’s replacement. They did the same with Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain and Mullen in 2018.
Receivers coach Billy Gonzales was named interim head coach for Florida’s remaining five games. Georgia was already favored to win the annual Georgia/Florida game but I think they have a bigger advantage after this.
Florida is dealing with losing their head coach and trying to stay focused. They were not looking like a team that could get to six wins and a bowl game before Napier was fired. I doubt they will get better now.
“The standards and expectations for Gators football are to win championships — not simply to compete. We exist to win and will not settle for less. UF has never been more invested in the success of this football program — elite facilities, robust NIL opportunities and comprehensive support for our student athletes and staff — than we are today,” Strickland said.
Currently the Penn State and UCLA head coaching jobs are also open. I’m sure other high-profile positions will also come available later in the season. It will be interesting to see who UF hires as their next head ball coach.
In The ATL
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The High School Football regular season is almost over.
Let’s take a look at how the top teams in metro Atlanta are doing before they head into the playoffs. I’m going to start with 6A.
#1 Grayson: The Rams (8-0) beat Rockdale County 58-10 last week. The defending 6A state champions are led by backup junior quarterback David “Deuce” Smith.
Four-star senior QB and UNC commit Travis Burgess suffered a season ending knee injury in the third game of the season.
“Hearing him go down, it was sad at one point,” Smith said. “Then it was excited like, ‘Your time is now,’ then it’s nervous butterflies, like, ‘Oh, shoot, it’s a big game coming up.”
In the Rockdale game, Smith threw five touchdown passes in the first half. Jovanni Watts returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown. Jonathan Stafford had three catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Next: 10/24 vs. South Gwinnett (5-2)
#2 Buford: The Wolves (7-0) beat Dacula 58-7 last week.
Dayton Raiola, the younger brother of Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, was 9-of-11 passing for 184 yards and four touchdowns, two to Torre Costin.
D.J. McCoy rushed for 92 yards. Deion Miller had seven solo tackles.
Next: Friday at Central Gwinnett (3-3)
#3 Carrolton: The Trojans (8-0) made it to the state championship game in 2024.
Last week they beat Chapel Hill 56-7.
Rontre Welch returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and caught a 46-yard TD pass a few minutes later.
Jay Hagan returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
C.J. Cypher was 9-of-9 passing for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Mason Holtzclaw was 8-of-11 passing for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Next: Friday vs. East Coweta (1-6)
#5 McEachern: The Indians (7-0) used to be an elite program and they have returned back to that in 2025.
Last week, they beat Pebblebrook 51-14. McEachern led 34-0 in the first half. Calvin Pittman was 8-of-9 passing for 165 yards and three touchdowns, and Coby Pittman was 5-of-8 for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Jacorey Shockley had five receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Next: Friday at
#10 Hillgrove (7-0)
Now let’s take a look at 5A.
#1 Hughes: The Panthers (7-0) had a bye last week.
They lost the 5A state championship game last season to Milton. The closest game they had this season was a 13-point win over the #6 team in 6A, Douglas County.
Next: Friday vs. #10 Northgate (7-0)
#3 Gainesville: The Red Elephants (7-1) beat #5 Milton last week, 28-16.
Nigel Newkirk rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
Kharim Hughley was 12-of-19 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown. Marshall Leonard, Kadin Fossung and Jamarion Matthews combined for five tackles for losses.
Next: Friday vs. Chattahoochee (1-6)
#6 Roswell: Last week, the Hornets (6-1) beat Chattahoochee 57-13.
Trey Smith was 19-of-21 passing for 195 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
Dre Cousey had five receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
Next: Friday vs. Lanier (5-3)
Now we will take a look at 4A.
#1 Creekside (8-0): The Seminoles made history in their game last Friday.
They beat Drew 91-0, which is the widest victory margin in a GHSA game since 1967.
They did not score an offensive touchdown in the second half.
The closest game they had this season was a 20-point win over Rome in the season opener.
Next: 10/24 at Jackson-Atlanta (6-2)
Playoff Run?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons are 2-2 and had a bye week in Week 5.
Their next game is a Monday Night Football Game at home against Buffalo on October 13th. The Falcons have not made the playoffs in the last seven years. The question is are they good enough to end that streak?
“It was great to get a win going into the bye week,” tight end Kyle Pitts said. “Week 5 byes aren’t the best. But it’s all good, going into it with a win. We just hope that the continuity will stay high. We’ll definitely link together as offense during this (bye week). Just go to next week and get ready for prime time.”
Atlanta is in their second season under head coach Raheem Morris. Last year they were 8-9. As you know, they paid a lot of money to free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins going into the 2024 season. He signed a four-year $180 million contract, with $100 million guaranteed.
After making this move, they surprised the football world by drafting Michael Penix with the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Cousins started the season hot and led the Falcons to 6-3 to start the season.
Then he started playing worse during their losing streak. He led the league with 16 interceptions and he was tied for the league lead in fumbles. That led to Cousins getting benched after Week 15.
I think a quarterback controversy might be brewing this season. Penix has been the starter but he played poorly in a 30-0 Week 3 loss at Carolina. Penix was benched for Cousins in the fourth quarter of that game.
Penix also played poorly in the Week 2 win at Minnesota, 22-6. He passed for 135 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. I believe if he plays poorly against the Bills Penix will be benched.
Atlanta has done some self-scouting during the bye week.
“Getting those guys going and trying to find ways and different things that we can get going,” Morris said. “All of those guys up front being in different positions and trying to get those guys aligned at different things so we could dictate terms a little bit better.”
The Falcons are also working on their run defense ahead of their Week 6 matchup with Buffalo. The Bills have Josh Allen and James Cook to deal with. Cook is ranked second in the league in rushing with 450 yards and 5 TD’s.
The Falcons gave up 147 yards and 6.7 yards per carry in their last outing against Washington. Running back Chris Rodriquez got loose for a 48-yard gain.
“Yeah, so really the one big run, the 48-yarder, is the one that can really crush it,” Morris said. “You can never say ‘except for’ in this game. But, if you can get rid of that run, you don’t feel terrible about it, especially with a quarterback run game. … Well, (that) can really tilt that thing.”
The Falcons have to play the AFC East and NFC West this season. Buffalo is the only good AFC East team so they should be favored against the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins.
The Cardinals are the worst team in the NFC East. The Rams are one of the best teams in the league. The games against San Francisco and Seattle could go either way.
Tampa Bay is the best team in the division and the next game against them will be on the road. I don’t think the Falcons will make the playoffs this season.
A Little Too Much Buzz?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech has started the college football season 5-0. That is impressive because most people did not predict this would happen. The Yellow Jackets beat Wake Forest (2-2) over the weekend, 30-29 in overtime. They dropped one spot in the AP Poll to #17.
“I’m extremely excited to win the football game,” head coach Brent Key said. “We’ve got two weeks now to deal with those things.”
It is tough to win games, especially against conference opponents. The two games Wake Forest has won were against Kennesaw State and Western Carolina. The Demon Deacons barely beat KSU in the season opener, 10-9.
We have to now ask, is Georgia Tech a legitimate contender to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoffs?
My answer is no and I have to use this Wake Forest game as an example. I know Tech was on the road but they trailed 20-3 early in the second half. The Yellow Jackets looked sluggish on both sides of the ball and let an inferior team dominate them for most of the game. I could argue that they showed toughness by coming back to win the game.
There was a blown offsides call against Georgia Tech with 1:50 left in the game and Wake Forest had the ball on third down. Quarterback Robby Ashford threw an incomplete pass, thinking he had a free play. That causes the Deacons to punt the ball with a three-point lead.
Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert told reporters Ashford “did what he’s trained to do, and that’s take a shot because he doesn’t know if it’s offside or not.”
An ACC spokesperson told the Associated Press that offside should have been called on the play. If officials had made the correct call, then Wake would have gained a first down with the penalty yards. Tech had no timeouts left, so the Demon Deacons could have secured the victory by running out the clock.
“I think there’s something special about this team, not even looking in the future, just the present with that just happened,” quarterback Haynes King said. “To overcome that, on the road, it’s just the maturity that we have. The trust that we have, players to players and coaches to players.”
Tech has a bye week coming up. Their next game is on October 11th at home against Virginia Tech (2-3). The Hokies lost to Old Dominion 45-26, so this should be an easy win for the Yellow Jackets.
The rest of the season they should be favored against everyone except for #12 Georgia. After Va Tech they play at Duke, Syracuse, at NC State, at Boston College, Pitt and UGA. I think they will lose at least one conference game. I also expect them to lose to Georgia.
If Tech advances to the ACC Championship Game, they will probably play #3 Miami or #18 Florida State. Both of those teams are more talented, so I would expect them to beat the Jackets.
If Georgia Tech can get to nine or ten wins, that will be considered a good season. They were 7-6 last year so that is a major improvement.
Left Behind?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dabo Swinney became the head coach at Clemson on October 13, 2008.
Tommy Bowden resigned six games into the season and he was named the interim head coach. The Tigers beat South Carolina 31-14 on November 29, 2008. He went 4-3 and was named the head coach on December 1, 2008.
One of the first things Swinney did when he was hired as the interim head coach was introduce a new tradition, the “Tiger Walk”. This is when all players and coaches walk through the parking lot outside of Memorial Stadium about two hours before a game as they head inside for final game preparations. I though this tradition was around a lot longer so I was surprised to find that out.
He made Clemson into a national powerhouse and won two national championships. Coming into the 2025 season, the Tigers were ranked #4 in the preseason poll. They returned several starters from the 2024 team that was 10-4. They won the ACC Championship and made it to the College Football Playoffs.
Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik was considered a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy coming into the season. As you know Clemson has started the season 1-3.
The season started with a home loss to #9 LSU, 17-10. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. They beat Troy the next week, 27-16. The Tigers trailed at halftime, 16-3 before scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. We should have seen then that Clemson has a problem.
They lost at Georgia Tech Week 3, 24-21. The Yellow Jackets were unranked at the time but they are 4-0 now and ranked #16 in the AP Poll.
Swinney was asked about that loss and he went into a diatribe against his critics that he supposedly does not listen to.
“Why are we held to a different standard to all these other teams out there who ain’t never won nothing?” Swinney said.
“If Clemson wants me gone, they are tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m going to go somewhere else to coach,” Swinney said. “I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55, I’ve got a long way to go.”
Then they played Syracuse at home this past Saturday. The Orange won, 34-21. The game was never close. Syracuse went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.
Swinney has been outspoken against using the transfer portal and NIL. It seems like he is being left behind with the changing landscape of college football. He has a new critic, Nick Saban.
“Dabo needs to look at what he needs to do in his program to make his program continually be successful” Saban said. “Do you have to change (the use of) the portal? Do you have to change name, image and likeness? …The game has changed. You need to change with it. Otherwise, you’re not going to put yourself in the same position other people are and having the chance to be successful.”
Clemson has a bye week now and the next game is at North Carolina (2-2) on October 4th. This should be an easy win for Clemson.
The real question is, how will the rest of the 2025 season be remembered for the Tigers?
This could be the beginning of the end for Dabo or he could finally adapt with the times and make Clemson a dominant program again.
At The Top
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are almost midway through the high school football regular season. Let’s take a look at some of the top teams in 6A.
#1 Grayson: The Rams are the defending state champions and are off to a 4-0 start. They started the season with a 51-3 win at Colllins Hill. They beat Rabun Gap-Nacoochee 24-19 and Thompson (AL) 24-23. Their last game was September 5th against Mallard Creek (NC) and they won 63-13.
The Rams start region play this week against Grovetown (3-1). Grayson is by far the best team in Region 4 AAAAAA and they are the only ranked team in the region. I expect them to finish the season undefeated.
#2 Buford: The Wolves (4-0) just beat #4 Douglas County 34-26. This game featured at least 25 players with Power 4 offers. Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Georgia State coach Dell McGee attended this top five showdown.
The Wolves started the season with a 20-13 win over Milton. They followed that up by beating Benedictine on the road, 42-14. They destroyed Roswell 65-21 in Week 3. They begin region play this week against Discovery (0-3). Buford does not face any other ranked teams in Region 8AAAAAA.
#3 Carrolton: The Trojans (5-0) lost the 2024 state championship to Grayson. Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis graduated and he plays for Colorado now. Carrolton is showing they are an elite program and they were not just successful because of Lewis.
The only game that was decided by one score was the Week 3 win at Rome, 28-21. In the other four games, the closest margin of victory has been 22 points.
They are in Region 2AAAAAA with #4 Douglas County. They will play in the season finale. Region play will start 10/3 at Westlake. I think the winner of the last game will be the region champs.
#4 Douglas County: The Tigers (3-2) have a lot of talent but they have played a tough schedule. They lost to the #2 team in 5A on the road, Hughes 44-31. They lost to #2 Buford on the road the following week, 34-26.
They started the season with wins over #6 North Gwinnett, Jonesboro and Newton.
Their next game is against 2A Columbia (0-4), so they should blow them out. Like I said above, their next challenge will be in the season finale against #3 Carrolton.
#5 Valdosta: The Wildcats (5-0) are looking to win their first state title since 2016. The only close game they have played was against Jesuit (FL) 21-14. They have beaten Tucker 63-19, Mundy’s Mill 60-14, Dougherty 52-3 and South Gwinnett 41-3.
They are in the toughest region in the state, Region 1AAAAAA. They have a bye this week and start region play 9/26 at #10 Camden County. The following game is at #9 Colquitt County and the season finale is against #8 Lowndes. If you are keeping track, that’s four top 10 teams in the state in the same region.
I don’t think Valdosta will make it out of region play unscathed.
Time To Go?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
You may have heard that the #13 Florida Gators lost to USF over the weekend, 18-16. The game was at home at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp.
South Florida deserves credit. They started the season by beating #25 Boise State 34-7. With that being said, Florida views their program as superior to South Florida. This is a loss that cannot happen for a coach on the hot seat like Billy Napier.
“It’s not good enough,” Coach Billy Napier said. “We’ve got work to do. You guys know it. I know it. Anybody that watched it knows it. We got to take ownership of it, and we got to go back to work. That’s it.”
Napier’s record at Florida is 20-20, with a 14-7 home record. He’s been 1-1 after the first 2 games each season he’s been in Gainesville.
The offense finished with 355 yards but they had to settle for three field goals. Florida’s lack of discipline was on display. The Gators held a one-point lead in the final three minutes of the game.
They had two costly penalties on South Florida’s final drive. Defensive back Dijon Johnson was called for pass interference. On the next play, defensive lineman Brendan Bett was flagged and ejected on the final drive for spitting at an opponent.
The surprising thing is this was two days after Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott.
“I haven’t had that conversation with him yet,” Napier said of Bett. “We’ll take a good look at it, but it’s unacceptable. I think we’ve got a lot of players in that room as well that have the same belief that it’s unacceptable.”
“When a guy does something like that, he’s compromising the team. He’s putting himself before the team. Everything the game is about, you’re compromising, so there will be lessons to be learned there. Yeah, it’s that simple.”
That helped set up the 20-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica as time expired. This was the first road win against a ranked opponent for USF since they beat #16 Notre Dame on September 3, 2011.
“We created it. We deserve it,” Napier said. “If you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory, right? Only thing you can do is go get it fixed, and that’s what we’ll start working on (Sunday).”
This was Florida’s first defeat at home against a school from Florida, other than Florida State or Miami, since a 16-14 loss to Stetson in 1938.
Clearly UF fans are angry and talks about firing Napier have resurfaced.
The next game is on the road at #3 LSU. The last time the Gators won in Baton Rouge was 2016. The following games are at #5 Miami, home against #7 Texas and at #16 Texas A&M. The odds seem to be stacked against Napier.
They needed to beat South Florida to have a chance to get to six wins. I think UF will finish with a losing record. The question is, how will the fan base react if they lose their next four games? I wonder when they will run out of patience. I don’t think he will make it to the end of the season.
His buyout is 85% of his current remaining contract, which would be $19.38 million after this season, with 50% of the buyout ($9.7 million) being due within 30 days of Napier being fired and the rest being paid out in equal installments every July through 2028.
There is no offset for the buyout if Napier gets another job.
Panthers on The Prowl
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia State hired Dell McGee as their head coach in February of 2024. He got a late start on recruiting and the Panthers went 3-9 last season.
McGee coached at University of Georgia from 2016-23 as the running backs coach and assistant head coach.
The Panthers added many new faces in 2025. They signed 34 high school signees and walk-ons and 43 transfers via the portal.
“We feel like those 77 new additions have supplemented our program,” McGee said at the Sun Belt’s Preseason Media Days event in New Orleans. “But ultimately, the direction of our program is going to be spearheaded by the 45 guys who return.”
This is his first real recruiting class he has signed. “I really can’t compare (to where we were last year), but I can say the 77 additions, we’ve created competition in every single room, and we feel like the competition will push the needle from a standpoint of accountability and competitiveness,” McGee said.
Some of the top incoming transfer players are CB Tyler Scott (Auburn), RB Jordon Simmons (Ole Miss), RB Rashad Amos (Memphis), RB Branson Robinson (Georgia), S Jordan Huff (East Carolina), IOL Deandre Duffus (Maryland), CB Isiah Dunson (Baylor), CB Bernard Causey III (LSU), OT Obadiah Obasuyi (NC State), QB Cameran Brown (Texas Tech), WR Javon Robinson (Georgia), WR Leo Blackburn (Georgia Tech) and LB Zavier Carter (UCF).
As you can see, they have added several players from Power 4 programs. The problem with building a team with transfers is maintaining the program’s culture. You also have to worry about not having a cohesive team if things get rough. A great example of this would be last year’s Florida State team that went 2-10.
Four of GSU’s losses in 2024 were by a touchdown or less, so they were competitive. They have been picked to finish last in the East Division in the preseason poll conducted by the coaches.
The Panthers have two players selected to the Sun Belt’s preseason all-conference team; wide receiver Ted Hurst (first team) and defensive lineman Henry Bryant (second team). Hurst is a senior from Savannah and he transferred in from Valdosta State. He led the team with 56 receptions for 961 yards and a school-record nine touchdowns.
Bryant is a redshirt senior from Delray Beach, Florida. He transferred in from Louisville in 2023. Last year he played in all 12 games and had 30 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 FF and 1 FR.
“Holding our team accountable is really one of the tiers that our players must uphold,” McGee said. “With the leadership of our 45 returning guys, they understand how we practice. They understand what it takes in the off-season, in the weight room and in summer conditioning. They’ve done a great job pushing that agenda forward.”
Georgia State will start the season August 30th at #21 Ole Miss. They play Memphis and Murray State after that. Memphis was 11-2 last season and Murray State is an FCS team that only won one game last year.
Week 4 is a trip to Vanderbilt. GSU beat Vandy 36-32 last season so I expect them to be looking for revenge.
They start conference play October 4th against James Madison. They were picked to finish first in the East Division and Georgia Southern was picked second
The games after that are Appalachian State, @ Georgia Southern, South Alabama, @ Coastal Carolina, Marshall, @ Troy and @ Old Dominion.
I don’t expect the Panthers to win six games but they should improve on the three wins from last season.
