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2025 Sun Belt Football Previews: Georgia Southern Eagles
83 Plays2 months ago
Brian, Matt & Zeke are back to run down this season's iteration of the Georgia Southern Eagles led by 4th year coach Clay Helton and returning QB J.C. French.
Will the Eagles continue to come up short of the Sun Belt title game despite having 7 pre-season 1st team All-Conference selections? Or is this the year Southern finally gets over the hump?
Email questions for our Phil Steele interview to warmweatherfans@gmail.com if you want Phil to answer them!
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Transcript
Introduction & Listener Engagement
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everybody, this is Brian Stone. We are going to have college football expert Phil Steele join us in the coming weeks, but we thought it only right that we ask our listenership, viewership, for their input on any questions about the Sunbelt Conference that they would like us to ask for Phil Steele.
00:00:22
Speaker
So if you would like one of your questions about a Sunbelt team asked on the podcast with Phil Steele, please email those over to warmweatherfans at gmail.com.
00:00:33
Speaker
If we like the question and think it's appropriate, we will ask Phil on the episode and get your questions answered by college football expert Phil Steele. Thanks. And here's the show.
Reunion & Reflections on Teaching
00:00:59
Speaker
Welcome everybody in back to another episode of warm weather fans. My name is Zeke Palermo joined as always by Brian Stone and Matt Miguez. We've got the whole crew here today. a little atypical for us, but it's glad we've got the whole crew. i am back from the abyss.
00:01:18
Speaker
Matt is back from his ah contractual obligations as an educator of the youth. um And it's good to have everybody back. How are you guys doing?
00:01:31
Speaker
matt you haven't been here much longer than the rest of us so that's fair man you know life's good um you know i've always had an appreciation for teachers right um both my parents are teachers so like i've had a ah lifelong appreciation for teachers and what they do but now that i am one good god almighty teachers rock we deserve pay raises across the board I haven't taught a single class yet, but I deserve a pay raise.
00:02:09
Speaker
Brian, what's up with you, man? Not much. Living the dream. to Two kids under the age of five.
High School Antics & Travel Tales
00:02:16
Speaker
the whole The whole deal. ah Matt, I was telling Zeke this story last time ah off off camera.
00:02:24
Speaker
i I feel a little bad. You said you're teaching high school, right? Yeah, freshman English. Okay. we We had some real jerks ah when I was a senior in high school that I hope you don't have to deal with anybody on that level where ah we had a guy for a senior prank put baby oil on the linoleum floor and our teacher did like a full on like penguin like stomach slide across the floor because it was just slick. And I'm like, I hope you don't have to deal with that.
00:02:58
Speaker
Yeah, I really hope that that doesn't happen to me because I'm clumsy enough as it is. her so if you add baby oil on an already slick floor, that's going to be a problem. it it it was ah Sorry, we can get it to it into Georgia Southern here in a second. It was devious the way he did it, too. It was a water bottle that had baby oil in it, so it looked like water, but he had poked a hole in the top and he was just walking beside squeezing baby oil on the ground as he walked by.
00:03:25
Speaker
It was crazy. Zeke, before we get started, because I know we i know we got to get to ah Georgia Southern football, um I've got to ask about your experience in Boston.
00:03:37
Speaker
and It was good, man. I've got to ask the age-old question. Did you go to a Harvard bar? We did not. We went to a Boston bar, but nothing in Harvard.
00:03:48
Speaker
Did you go to Cheers? We walked by it. didn't go My brother may have used to the restroom in there, but we didn't go in. um i think the big takeaway was uh don't go to that city on a monday there were kind of two historical sites that were really top of the list um the uss constitution which is like the oldest active naval boat in the world at least the country but maybe the world uh and then we wanted to check out bunker hill both of those closed on mondays
00:04:24
Speaker
So awesome. Yeah. Don't go Boston on a Monday. Yeah. that Don't go to Boston on a Monday was the big takeaway of the trip. It was cool. My brother and I checked out td garden, which was kind of fun.
00:04:35
Speaker
um They had the drew holiday and Chris after Porzingis merch on great, great discount because neither play for the team anymore. That yeah was a small, Drew drew dr holidays.
00:04:47
Speaker
Two teams removed now. Yeah, yeah, he is. So it was a good time. I really enjoyed it. But we're glad to
Georgia Southern 2022 Season Recap
00:04:55
Speaker
be back. I'm no longer recording from the abyss. um And we're here to talk about some Georgia Southern football. The Eagles, who last year went 8-5. This is the fourth year under Clay Helton.
00:05:08
Speaker
This will be one of those perhaps extra in-depth or extra long episodes because obviously Brian is our resident Georgia Southern guy. So this episode, as opposed like a round table, will lean more towards a barrage of questions.
00:05:25
Speaker
ah geared towards him. But before we do that, Matt, what's your high-level overview for this team? What did you make of them last season, and where do you think they go from here?
00:05:37
Speaker
You know, obviously they put together a good record last year going 8-5, but I never really felt super impressed. They hung with Boise State early on in the year.
00:05:52
Speaker
um You know, had some good wins, got a win over the eventual Sunbelt champion, Marshall beat James Madison, ah had that win over Georgia State. So the end of September through middle of October, that three-week stretch, four-week stretch, um they they looked really good. But then they got their doors blown off by Old Dominion.
00:06:13
Speaker
On a Thursday night, ah struggled to beat a really struggling South Alabama team last year and then finished off strong, getting wins over both Coastal and App.
00:06:25
Speaker
But again, never overly impressed with with what Georgia Southern was able to do last year yeah Oh, I'm sorry. Keep going. No, I'm just saying, you know, what's going to be interesting this year is when you look at their schedule, um and I know we'll dive deeper into the schedule as as we get on but with the show, ah but but starting the first two weeks out West, one of them being at Clay Helton's former job at USC, and then your first two conference games are at James Madison at home against Southern Miss.
00:07:00
Speaker
If you can make it to the morning of October 10th, I think you're in great shape if you're Georgia Southern.
00:07:11
Speaker
The likelihood of being 4-2 at that point, you know you know we'll see. um But if you can wake up on Friday, October 10th with a 4-2 record, Clay Helton's got to be feeling really good about where is.
00:07:24
Speaker
Yeah, you mentioned it. the The story of Clay Helton, Georgia Southern teams has obviously been leaving meat on the bone. ah The Old Dominion loss last year, the Troy loss.
00:07:35
Speaker
um I guess they kind of offset like a James Madison and Marshall win. But those were two games last year that ah kind of that kept Georgia Southern and out of a Sunbelt championship game.
00:07:47
Speaker
You go back to the year before where the team ends the season on a five-game losing streak. So that's kind of been the tone of Georgia Southern in past years. Brian, you have obviously a more intimate opinion and knowledge of this. So what's the state of the team ah after last year and heading into the week one?
00:08:09
Speaker
Well, I wanted to start off with a stat for you guys to just kind of put into perspective what's been going on in Statesboro the last couple years. So there are five teams in the Sun Belt that have more than 40 wins from 2018 to 2024.
00:08:27
Speaker
Four of those teams are Troy, Louisiana, Appalachian State, and Coastal Carolina. All four of those teams have a conference title. Would you like to guess who the fifth team is?
00:08:41
Speaker
So basically they have been basically the Dallas Cowboys of the the Sunbelt Conference where they'll win some regular season games.
00:08:54
Speaker
When it comes to put the chips down, are they going to show up? Probably not. And, uh, You know, expectations are are high.
00:09:05
Speaker
ah You know, it seems on on the surface right now that the East is a two-horse race with them and JMU. um We can talk about that upcoming game when we get to the schedule, but I don't feel overly confident about it. And there's historical precedence as to why.
00:09:23
Speaker
But listen, they have nine players that are either on the first or second team preseason all-conference team. They have seven first-team all-Sunbelt players.
00:09:35
Speaker
Theoretically, They should be in the mix like right up until the end of the season. But what Matt said last year about the old Dominion game and the the Troy games has just been par for the course for them. they They can do it up until a certain point, and then late in the season, whether it be Chad Lunsford coaching the team or whether it be Clay Helton, they will hit a point where They just lose focus and they're not ready and they're and underprepared for a game and they just get there their doors blown off and just make the other team look like the 85 Bears or 2007 Patriots or what you know whatever historically great team you want to compare them to. but
00:10:16
Speaker
they'll they Again, they'll they'll pull a win out of their back pocket. that like The Marshall comeback last year was insane, and there were extenuating circumstances as to as to why that happened.
00:10:28
Speaker
But they'll pull a game like that out where they beat the eventual conference champs, but then they can't beat like Troy at home, who's like a four-win team. So i I would say...
Quarterback & Offense Analysis
00:10:39
Speaker
expectations are tempered.
00:10:40
Speaker
I went on gsufans.com the other day. There's a poll up among the users. There's like 200 votes on it as to what our record's going to be this year. And with all of that said, with all the pre pre-season conference players, everything, the leading vote-getter was for us to finish 7-5 in the regular season.
00:11:00
Speaker
So I think everybody is pretty... they They are, we realize that there's a good bit of talent on this team, but everybody is just kind of waiting for the eventual screw up so that we can finally get to the point where we all logically arrive at and at the end of every season.
00:11:18
Speaker
Sure. Yeah. So um the the story for this team obviously is so much returning talent. And that starts at the quarterback position for the first time under Clay Helton. You get a returning quarterback in JC French.
00:11:33
Speaker
French last year passed for 2,800 yards, 17 to 11 touchdown interception, ah completed passes at a 65% clip, also ran for 386 yards, or I'm sorry, 239 yards, he gained 386.
00:11:52
Speaker
That was third best. Stupid rule, by the way. Stupid rule. We will always hold that opinion, official opinion of the pod, stupid stupid rule. Sacks are not tackles for loss.
00:12:07
Speaker
But so it's JC French. There's not a ton of competition behind him. They brought in Turner hilton clay Helton, Clay Helton's son from, I believe, West Carolina. um You also have- WKU, I thought.
00:12:20
Speaker
Or I'm sorry, Western Kentucky, yeah. yeah ah And then you get a redshirt freshman in Tyler Budge, who ah did not play last year, and a couple of true freshmen. Where do you guys stand on JC French?
00:12:33
Speaker
Because last year he was a little inconsistent, turnover prone at times, particularly in the bowl game. um But in my eyes, he's one of the top end returning quarterbacks in the conference.
00:12:47
Speaker
So Matt, again, we'll start with you. Where does he land in your rankings and what are your concerns with that Yeah, I agree, especially in terms of returning quarterbacks. he He's definitely up there in the conference.
00:13:01
Speaker
um Yeah, he he turned the ball over a lot last year. ah His completion percentage wasn't you know mind-boggling. It was solid. what What did he end up completing? 65. Yeah, 66%.
00:13:16
Speaker
Two out who out of three ain't bad, right? like ah As a coach, you're going to live with a 65% completion percentage when you're winning football game. um for For JC French, I think it's just going to come down to better decision-making and less turnovers, which comes with experience.
00:13:34
Speaker
Now he's got that full season of experience under his belt, and i he's got that full off-season experience knowing that come August 31st or August 30th or whatever it may be, that I'm going to be the starting quarterback.
00:13:47
Speaker
You spend your offseason preparing differently knowing you're the guy, right? you You don't have to worry about a competition. you don't have to worry about somebody looking over your shoulder. You're the dude. um And so I think that that's going to be really good for him.
00:14:01
Speaker
i think he's going to have a really good year. Now, is it going to be enough? Is there an offensive line in front of him? Is there enough skill players around him to you know really put something magical together in Statesboro?
00:14:18
Speaker
Potentially, right? There's definitely some talent out there. And and again, we'll we'll dive into that as we go through each position group, as we always do. um I think the the sky's the limit for JC French.
00:14:30
Speaker
It's just going to come down to can he limit the turnovers, which was his big problem last year.
00:14:37
Speaker
Brian, with Dexter Williams out of the picture, what's J.C. French's floor-ceiling expectation? Well, I mean, his floor is throwing four picks in a bowl game.
00:14:51
Speaker
um And as we've seen with... with court ah la I really hope that actually makes it onto the episode. Unlike the last time that you, you did that sound and then it just nothing happened. So it made it seem like you were insane.
00:15:08
Speaker
um The floor is throwing four picks ah in a bowl game against a team that has been an FCS team for the past two years and was breaking in like a new head coach.
00:15:21
Speaker
um That's the floor. ah The ceiling, i think, is the game that he played against Boise State in the opener last year because i i don't have his stats for that game specifically in front of me. But if you go back...
00:15:36
Speaker
and and actually watch the game, he was the only reason they were even like in the game because Ashton Janty, who, you know, now we know it is a top five pick in the NFL draft, top 10 pick, ah just ran rough shot over that defense.
00:15:52
Speaker
And he, I mean, he put up 45 on Boise. So I mean, he played really, really well in that game. He get, now I will say this. Having said what floor ceiling is, if the game, if the season last year was 12 games long and not 13, I'd feel a lot better about it.
00:16:10
Speaker
But that bowl game left a really, really sour taste in my mouth. And it gave me like Vietnam PTSD style flashbacks to Davis Brin throwing the football or attempting to.
00:16:21
Speaker
um And Zeke, I made this joke to you in the Southern Miss episode about putting your hand on a hot stove Clay Helton will put his hand on a hot stove until the skin is off of his fingers. And it's just like bones exposed, like third degree burns need to amputate the hand, the whole deal.
00:16:43
Speaker
We saw that with Davis Brin. He literally won't pull a quarterback that he has hand chosen until, unless barring injury or potential fan revolt.
00:16:55
Speaker
So those are the two conditions that have to be met. Um, I've got to say it. One area that he needs to get better is pushing the ball down the field.
00:17:05
Speaker
Uh, he was very like dink and dunk last year. And I don't know if that was like a, a product of the offense design. Um, but it got really predictable to the point where there were games, JMU comes to mind, where screen passes are getting taken back to the house for six because every team knows, hey, he's probably not going to throw it further than 10 yards down the field.
00:17:28
Speaker
So I'm not saying you need to be... Kyle Vantrese grip it and rip it every play, but the, the threat of throwing the ball down the field has to be there. And frankly, it really wasn't.
00:17:40
Speaker
And when you are a quarterback that doesn't bring a lot with your legs, the way that he really doesn't, um, you can't also be timid to throw the ball further than five yards down the field.
00:17:53
Speaker
Sure. And then, uh, Matt, you alluded to this, that then leads to the skill position starting at running back, uh, You lose Jalen White, now a Green Bay Packer, who ran for 770 yards last year.
00:18:07
Speaker
But you get guys number two and three in O.J. Arnold and David Zitten-Badinga. Badinga. butinga You don't see the M. You get those guys back.
00:18:20
Speaker
You also, I've seen a lot of buzz, of unsubstantiated buzz to this point, but buzz nonetheless about Terrence Gibbs, who is like the highest rated prospect in team history, but is rushed for something, you know, maybe ran for 40 yards last year. So,
00:18:38
Speaker
ah What are y'all's thoughts? you He ran four you ran for four yards last year. Awesome. so Just really quick, Terrence Gibbs so far to this point has been like Santa Claus. like Everybody wants to believe in him. No one has seen him. like he He basically doesn't exist.
00:18:56
Speaker
and And there's a reason for that. He had a really bad injury in high school. which is why I think they landed him in the first place was because a lot of teams who had him high up on recruiting boards and were making offers saw that injury and were like, actually, let's go use our scholarship elsewhere.
00:19:14
Speaker
And so I think that's the reason why he ended up at Southern. To this point, he hasn't done anything. And i don't I don't know if he's even 100% because we're two, three years removed from the injury at this point.
00:19:28
Speaker
So I'm like, if he's not fully recovered, like he's not ever going to fully recover. but Sorry, go ahead. No, you're good. well and that That's your thoughts on Terrence Gibbs, OJ Arnold, David Badinga.
00:19:42
Speaker
How does that room look for you? I think OJ Arnold's electric, honestly. Like, I thought he and White were a really good one-two combo last year. they They really did operate like thunder and lightning.
00:19:54
Speaker
Like, it was Jalen White was the thumper between the tackles, and OJ Arnold was the guy that you could throw a screen pass out in space and he could get you 20 yards. Um, I liked Badinga in the little bit. I saw of him as well. He kind of filled in as the number two when Jalen White would be injured or OJ Arnold would need to take a breather.
00:20:15
Speaker
Um, I liked what he's, he, get he brought in spurts, you know, he only had 229 yards last year. Um, but they kind of used him as, as sort of a scat back change of pace type guy.
00:20:28
Speaker
i don't I don't know. Truly, like again, Gibbs has been like this fairy tale that we've been told as Georgia Southern fans every year. like This is the year he's going to show up, and then it's like he runs for four yards, and you're just like, ah, all right, we'll get him next time.
00:20:43
Speaker
so i mean If he's a part of the backfield and he's 100%, then yeah, wheels up for the running back room. But if not, I think i think OJ Arnold and Bedinga and you know whoever else they want to sprinkle can handle the load for sure.
00:20:57
Speaker
Sure. Matt, with Arnold and Badinga each weighing about 190 pounds, um if Terrence Gibbs, who appears to be the heaviest running back room in that room at 210, isn't available, do you have any concerns about not having that type of power back guy? Is that something you need for a team to be successful?
00:21:19
Speaker
I mean, does it help? Absolutely. Is it a necessity? No, I don't think so. I think you just have to, you know, kind of tweak your your playbook and your and your offensive system to what you have.
00:21:34
Speaker
You know, if you've got a couple of 190-pound ah yeah East-West playmakers, then just throw a lot of screen passes. um A lot of pitch plays, a lot of a lot of Wildcat.
00:21:47
Speaker
um you know won't as ah As a diehard Saints fan, there was that you know three-year stretch where Dennis Allen loved to run Alvin Kamara right between the tackles.
00:21:58
Speaker
And why? That's not that's not who he is. He's not a north-south runner. um And so, yeah, I mean, ah again, having a Jalen White to to really beat up on the defensive line and then, you know, you throw in the change of pace with OJ Arnold, is that a...
00:22:21
Speaker
Is that a nice thing to have? Absolutely. um but but But does it make or break this offense for me? No. okay if if If Terrence Gibbs is healthy, great. um you know you use him Use him to the best of his ability. Let him you know bruise up the the defensive line and make some things happen in the middle.
00:22:38
Speaker
But no, just just change your play calling to to what you have available.
00:22:43
Speaker
So then looking over at the wide receivers, you lose Derwin Burgess, who is a NFL free agent, I believe. I don't think he's signed anywhere. um you know He'll probably flirt around with practice squads. He was the number one guy with 59 catches for 659 yards.
00:23:02
Speaker
But behind him was Josh Dallas, who was absolutely electric last year with 46 receptions for 614 and six touchdowns. You also get Daylin Cobb back with 52 catches for 599 and four touchdowns.
00:23:19
Speaker
You do lose tight end Tyler Fromm, who was a part of that receiving core. But, I mean, you've got Cobb and Dallas, who were a really good duo last year as the two and three, now moving up to one and two. I feel really good about them. Brian, what do you what's your take on that group?
00:23:38
Speaker
Yeah, I think Josh Dallas has what it takes to easily be the one on this team. Now, if if they want to deploy him in the slot primarily, I mean, they run a lot of three receiver sets anyway.
00:23:50
Speaker
So you can put him in the slot for 90% of his snaps and he won't come off the field because we don't go heavy personnel like ever. Um, that's just not really like what we do. I think the last time i think I can only name one time we went from under center last year in like a heavy package. And I think it ended up in a fumble.
00:24:11
Speaker
So that should kind of tell you where, where we are. We're at wherere at with that. Um, yeah, I, I feel very confident with Dallas. He was great last year in the, in the times that they threw him the football.
00:24:21
Speaker
I think Cobb is a good, uh, complimentary piece, obviously almost had 600 yards receiving. It was very spread out among the receivers to where, You couldn't just like zone in on one guy and go, okay, if we take this guy away, like, you know, we don't have to worry about anybody else. I mean, there's, there's some more ancillary pieces too, who can slot in. You've got ah this transfer Camden Brown from Auburn, who's six, three, 200 pounds.
00:24:49
Speaker
Hadn't really done a lot, but that's kind of been the the m MO with a lot of the transfers they brought in. Like, LV Bunkley Shelton came in ah from Oklahoma, ah kind of had no real production to speak of and then was pretty good for them.
00:25:03
Speaker
So they they they're pretty good at finding guys to to, I think, fill what would be the X role. um And the X role, if you can beat a guy one on one, they'll throw you the ball. But it's not one of those where it's like we have to have a strong X receiver in order to make this offense run. So yeah.
00:25:22
Speaker
ah In that respect, like I feel pretty good about the way that the receiving core kind of looks as of today. Sure.
Offensive Line & Tight End Roles
00:25:29
Speaker
You mentioned cam mentioned Camden Brown, who Phil Steele, as we read it today, ah projects as the third starting wide receiver.
00:25:38
Speaker
Over three years at Auburn, he had 289 yards. You also get Brian Green, who transferred in from Florida after getting no play. um You get Marcus Sanders, who did a little bit here, 158 receiving yards.
00:25:54
Speaker
Matt, who do you like as the third wide receiver in this group?
00:26:01
Speaker
You know, that's going to be really interesting to to watch play out. um You know, you brought up Sanders, ah who who really didn't do a ton last year. um You know, nine nine catches, had a touchdown in there.
00:26:17
Speaker
It's going to be interesting to see if he can carve out a true role for himself. But look, you know, when when you've got one-two punch like Josh Dallas and Daylon Cobb, ah who, again, were both phenomenal last year, ah you know, if you can get similar production out of them, it's going to be hard to be a number three in that room.
00:26:37
Speaker
um because JC French has already got chemistry with those two guys. And, you know, he he's going to go to those guys, you know, nine times out of 10. So I don't know if a third wide receiver is really going to be super important in this offense.
00:26:53
Speaker
um But yeah, I mean, I would like to see Marcus Sanders carve out a out a role for himself as that number three guy. Sure. And then moving to the offensive line, ah you return a handful of really important starters that are all now seniors this year.
00:27:12
Speaker
You get Chandler Strong, who started six games last year playing center. You've got Caleb Cook, who was a third-team All-Sunbelt player last year at right guard.
00:27:23
Speaker
And then Peach and Wembley. who was also third team Sunbelt at left guard. But then over on the tackles is a lot more experience, and I anticipate that's where both of you will have your greatest concerns.
00:27:38
Speaker
ah Phil Steele has Robert Wright. playing at right tackle, Robert Wright at right tackle. ah That's a guy who's not played at played in two years. He redshirted two years ago and was out with a knee injury last season.
00:27:53
Speaker
And then you get Kalen Williams over on the left tackle who had two starts. He appeared thirteen in all 13 games, but that's obviously mostly special teams type packages with only two starts.
00:28:07
Speaker
Brian With two pretty fresh, if not entirely fresh tackles, how much does that impact the ceiling here? Well, I mean, yeah they're going to be, it's going to be trial by fire.
00:28:23
Speaker
I mean, there's really other way to put it. You know when you basically, I mean, Kalen Williams, I i think played kind of all over the line last year. Like I think he, if I recall correctly, I don't, I don't have like where he lined up on every, every, in every game in front of me, but I'm pretty sure he played some, like a little bit of right tackle,
00:28:44
Speaker
I think he filled in at guard a little bit. So, I mean, he's kind of played all over the line. Obviously, Robert Wright has to has to replace our boy, Bryson Broadway, ah who's now in the CFL, I believe. shout out Shout out to Bryson Broadway.
00:28:58
Speaker
Yeah. Shout out to him for coming on the show last year. We really appreciate it. That was a lot of fun. um But yeah, I mean, obviously I'm not stating, I'm not you know inventing fire by saying the ah the middle of the line, the interior is going to be where the strength of this line is.
00:29:15
Speaker
um Now, Kayla Williams does have some nice size too. I mean, 295. So, you know, he's at least got the the intangibles of like, or the I guess the tangibles, like he's physically large. Like we'll we'll see how it goes from there.
00:29:31
Speaker
but I mean, the offensive line has been pretty much a bright spot over the last couple years. So until this core of the middle graduates and we have to replace all of them, then I'll be a lot more concerned. But yeah, I mean, the tackles are going to have to <unk> have to learn on the fly. But you know it happens with everybody.
00:29:51
Speaker
Yeah. ah brian i'm sorry Matt, do you have anything else to add to the offensive line? It's a pretty straightforward story. but Yeah, like like I'll just kind of add on to what Brian said. you know The middle of the line is definitely going to be the strength.
00:30:06
Speaker
um But you know one benefit to to the tackles that that Brian kind of alluded to is you talked about Kalen Williams and his size at six foot seven almost 300 pounds.
00:30:17
Speaker
That is the one thing as an offensive line coach that you cannot teach. You can't coach size. yeah you either You either have it or you don't. um so So the footwork, hand placement, all of that can can be developed.
00:30:32
Speaker
All of that can be taught. um Clearly, he has playing experience ah at most positions on the offensive line, so I think that will help. um ah Do I think that they're going to have the best offensive line in the conference? Probably not.
00:30:46
Speaker
ah But could they be a top five group with with some chemistry and cohesion as the season goes on? Yeah.
00:30:53
Speaker
Yeah, sounds good. Any other thoughts before we move on about the offense? Big picture, small picture. Any other thoughts? It's going to be interesting to see if they deploy this new tight end, River helm Helms, in the same way that they did Tyler Fromm last year, kind of as like a big body red zone style target.
00:31:12
Speaker
I mean, Fromm didn't exactly put up like gaudy numbers, but that's more of a function of the offense just being like... pick your poison a little bit.
00:31:23
Speaker
So it'll be interesting to see if he, i I imagine he's going to run a roughly similar amount of routes. Like I can't see them keeping him in as, as a sixth ah offensive lineman, basically for the majority of the season.
00:31:36
Speaker
Sure.
Defensive Strengths & Challenges
00:31:37
Speaker
That then moves us, obviously, to the defense, where they return seven starters. Starting up front with the defensive line, you get Davian Rhodes, Latrell Bullard, and MJ Stroud all back.
00:31:53
Speaker
um I mean, that's that's a really, really good group. And then filling the other defensive tackle spot opposite Bullard is Uche Ailo, who did not play last year as a true freshman at Georgia Tech.
00:32:07
Speaker
um The big stories as it relates to the defensive line or def defense as a whole is obviously going to be the loss of Marquez Watson-Trent, who was an 100-plus tackler last year in Off rip, I'm willing to put money probably the year before.
00:32:26
Speaker
um Really a run-stopping guy. but Very, very good in that regard. Didn't apply pressure to quarterbacks too often, um but but was very good in the middle.
00:32:37
Speaker
um Brian, big picture stuff. How does this group look without Trent, um without David Gilmore, who was your leading sack getter last season?
00:32:48
Speaker
How does this look group look as a whole? Yeah, um I mean, to me, the big things are somebody's got to get a quarterback because I think, like you mentioned, Ilo, the Georgia Tech transfer, and Latrell Bullard, who's 6'1", 340, are going to be able to clog the the middle and stop the run.
00:33:10
Speaker
um but we we just need somebody to be that leading sack getter, someone who's going hurry opposing quarterbacks, you know speed them up, because you know that that has been kind of an area where the defense has been lacking in years past, where it's like, we don't have a number one pass rusher. We're having to kind of manufacture a pass rush, bring blitzes. like we We have to do more like exotic things, because frankly, they just haven't had that that guy that's like,
00:33:40
Speaker
okay, this guy can go out on third down and it's going to at least make the quarterback like think about it. It's just kind of been like pass rusher by committee a little bit, kind of similar to the receivers. So that's going to be the biggest thing to me. I don't really have much concern about the two defensive tackles. It's more the defensive ends because they're on the lighter side. I mean, Rhodes is 235. Stroud is 225, according to Phil Steele.
00:34:05
Speaker
um But the other thing too, and this made me laugh, Brendan Harrington comes over the linebacker from app state to play there.
00:34:17
Speaker
You think people in Boone are happy to see, happy to see him over. You think he would be welcomed back with open arms? Probably not. That that's one of those Yankees Red Sox trades.
00:34:29
Speaker
Yeah. Moving over Matt high level. Yeah. What do you dislike? What do you like and dislike about this group? You know, I would really like the the depth they bring back with a guy like Latrell Bullard, you know, in that defensive front. And also, um you've got a guy in the defensive secondary.
00:34:53
Speaker
I'm drawing a blank on his name. Chance Gamble. The redshirt senior defensive back had three interceptions last year. ah Really just a ball hawk. I like the the veteran pieces returning in both of those spots.
00:35:07
Speaker
um Seven starters back from a year ago. That experience level is huge. I think they take a a big step forward. This year because he had several games last season where, you know, granted the offense really put them in some bad spots with some costly turnovers at times, but but you had a lot of games where you you gave up, you know, 35 or more points.
00:35:30
Speaker
And so I would like to see that number go down a little bit. You gave up 56 to Boise State. You gave up 52 to Ole Miss. Granted, those are two very high-power offenses. 47 to Old Dominion.
00:35:42
Speaker
You gave up 30 to South Alabama. You know, I think that that makes my... Can I break in just two seconds? Yeah. the the The reason for those, though, were the run defense.
00:35:56
Speaker
like each one of those games other than maybe save old miss because they had professional future professional football players on their team. But it's like the majority of those, I mean, Ashton Janty was the reason they scored Boise scored as many points as they did.
00:36:13
Speaker
um You know, old dominion, colton Not being able to contain Colton Joseph was a big reason why they scored as many points as they did. So it's just like if the run defense is there and they can actually tackle and stop people and like at times last year, I feel really good about the secondary. I don't think the secondary was the reason their defense had those last year. So.
00:36:37
Speaker
so No, i would I would agree with that. and you know They gave up 28 points a game last year, which is a lower average than than I had originally thought that they had. um But again, you know seven starters returning, you've got a lot of experience and at a lot of different levels.
00:36:54
Speaker
I'd really like to see that number closer to 25, 24 even this year. um And I think that if they can can get to that point, they'll they'll really be contending for the Sunbelt East title.
00:37:09
Speaker
Yeah, so we talked about the defensive front, which returns three starters and gets a real big boy. And Ilo to fill the other defensive tackle. This team is running, as Phil Steele projects it, a pretty traditional for two where you get Brendan Harrington, who, as Brian Stead, comes over after six seasons at App State.
00:37:32
Speaker
So you'd hope a 25-year-old can be steadying presence. Among a group of guys who can't yet drink. We'll find out. ah And then on the other side of him is Brandon Tyson, ah who played Elon last year. 73 tackles, nine tackles for loss two years ago, but took a big step last season.
00:37:59
Speaker
This is my fault. Don't know if that's because of injury or talent. Only three starts, 25 tackles last season. So you get a very experienced Harrington in.
00:38:10
Speaker
You get a little less experience in Tyson, especially at FBS. um But that seems like it will be a good enough core for the time being. And then you move on to the secondary that, as Brian said, I think is probably the best group on the defense. You've got Aiden Jackson.
00:38:29
Speaker
Tracy Hill and Chance Gamble. Gamble last year was a second team all Sunbelt player. Hill and Jackson also played well. Then in the safeties, you get Justin Myers and Jaden Davis. Myers coming back.
00:38:43
Speaker
Jaden Davis played eight games but did not record a single stat last year for Georgia Tech. A lot of Georgia Tech transfers. um Is that typically the case? Do they usually go in-state for those transfers?
00:38:57
Speaker
Uh, no, I think it's a weird amount of Georgia tech transfers to be quite honest. Um, we don't, we don't always just pluck from the team in Atlanta like that. Uh, the one thing i I want to add about Hill and gamble that we Zeke, you and I have pointed this out in previous previews, two corners, six, two or taller.
00:39:18
Speaker
Like, that's not nothing. So if there are big physical receivers on the outside, like they can theoretically play with those guys. It's not one of those where it's like, I don't know, man, you know, one of our corners is five ten Like someone could go get a jump ball over him. It's like both of those guys...
00:39:37
Speaker
are are tall to be playing corner. And then even Aiden Jackson, our our nickel is 5'11". So, you know, in theory, like, that should be the strength of the defense right there.
00:39:48
Speaker
Yeah. Sure. And then just kind of wrap on the roster construction.
Coaching Staff & Contract Insights
00:39:55
Speaker
Looking at the coaches, obviously Clay Elton at the helm. You get Ryan Applin, who was the offensive coordinator last season.
00:40:03
Speaker
Before that was a pass games coordinator. And then you get Brandon Bailey, who despite his third year as defensive coordinator, is still the youngest DC in FBS.
00:40:17
Speaker
Brian, um I guess the big question is, Clay Helton, where do you stand? What's your patience with him? on Can he survive another late season skid real disappointing should have win losses like Old Dominion was last year?
00:40:35
Speaker
Well, the AD made the galaxy brain maneuver to extend him after the season. So he's more than likely going to survive no matter what this season looks like.
00:40:47
Speaker
Uh, you know I watched a little bit of his Sunbelt Media Day, and I've come to the conclusion that with Clay Helton, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Because he will just talk and not say anything of value. like he He just says stuff, and you're just like...
00:41:06
Speaker
All right. but none None of what you said means anything to me like as a fan. like you know there There was that time two years ago with Davis Brin where a reporter in a postgame press conference asked him about the offense when they were just throwing pick after pick after pick. And he's like, I trust in our offense.
00:41:23
Speaker
Okay, great. So you either don't know what's going on or you... you know at that point in the season it was like you don't need you either don't know what's going on or you're incompetent so just pick one um so that's what i mean he's the master of like coach speak so anything that comes out of his mouth can be immediately dismissed um he will tell you it's it's raining and then you can open the blinds and there's sunshine outside like he will just straight up not tell you anything so my patience with level with him is
00:41:55
Speaker
ah dwindling, i would say. ah If he can't take this team and do something, again, I read that stat off, and he's part of it. The 40-plus wins over the last six years, zero Sunbelt title game appearances, obviously zero Sunbelt titles.
00:42:12
Speaker
I mean, how many years can you do the same thing over and over and over and over again and expect different results, especially with a guy that... literally from what I've noticed, won't give another quarterback a chance. Once he's decided, once he's anointed a starter, that person is almost set for life, barring like getting hurt.
00:42:33
Speaker
Or like I said, the fans uprising and being like, we will do something about this if you don't change quarterbacks. So it's just like, you've got a guy who's hardheaded, ah the team loses focus late in seasons and you watched it happen last year. It's happened years before and you can't, you can't listen to a word he says because none of it matters.
00:42:56
Speaker
I mean, so it's like, Yeah, he won eight games, but this team is crazy talented and they they shouldn't have been sitting at home at the end of the season with their fingers crossed hoping that JMU beat Marshall.
00:43:10
Speaker
That should have been, we have our destiny in our own hands. Instead, like I said, they were sitting at home with their fingers crossed being like, o Marshall, don't come back. And then Marshall did. And then it was like, okay, well,
00:43:22
Speaker
We're going to play in the 68 Ventures Bowl or whatever. Like, who cares? So that's that's just where I'm at with him.
2023 Schedule & Key Games
00:43:29
Speaker
Yeah. Matt, why don't ah why don't you walk us through their schedule for the upcoming year?
00:43:33
Speaker
Oh, man, it is a it is a doozy. um So, again, first two weeks are on the road ah at Fresno State and then at USC.
00:43:45
Speaker
Then they come home for a pair with Jacksonville State and Maine. Then the Sunbelt slate starts ah at James Madison on September 27th.
00:43:57
Speaker
Then they come home on a Thursday night to host Charles Huff and Southern Miss. The Georgia State battle for homecoming on October 18th. And then October 25th is going to be one that I'm watching very closely when they go up to Jonesboro.
00:44:13
Speaker
to to play Arkansas State. I think that one could be a lot of fun and and you know maybe by that point in the season has some implications for both teams ah depending on on how we see things taken out there.
00:44:27
Speaker
ah Month of November, did they go to App, home against Coastal. home against Old Dominion ah before they wrap it up Thanksgiving weekend on the road in Huntington at Marshall.
00:44:39
Speaker
um Do either of you happen to have the win total in front of you for the seven and a half? Ooh, seven and a half. I like i'll take that.
00:44:52
Speaker
I'll take that. I'll take the over on that. As you ran through those games, I saw nine games where I think I would consider Georgia Southern favorites.
00:45:03
Speaker
Whether they pull that out, who freaking knows? But Fresno, Jack State, Maine, Southern Miss, Georgia State, Arkansas State, Coastal, Old Dominion, and Marshall – That's nine games I think Georgia Southern goes into as favorites.
00:45:19
Speaker
Brian, starting to smirk. He's pissed that you skip the app game. No, I'm not. You guys are not factoring in the random egg or two that they're going to lay right she during the season.
00:45:33
Speaker
like sure no but But that's what I mean. is why That's why... we just went over all of the talent they have. The fan base thinks they're going seven and five. Like the majority of the people on GSU fans.com think they're going seven and five, even with all the talent that they have and, and the schedule that they have, people are still like, yeah, we're probably going to like get upset on the road against app, uh, that night.
00:45:58
Speaker
Uh, and then we'll probably lose a home game that we have no business losing. And that'll be the season right there. Yeah. But that's like that's life in the Sun Belt. Not for everybody.
00:46:10
Speaker
ah you You can't count on one hand number of Sun Belt fan bases. How many Sun Belt championships does your team have in the last five years? That would be one.
00:46:22
Speaker
Okay. And that's one more than Georgia Southern has. um'm I'm not saying that. What a what i'm what I'm getting at is you know every year, Cajun fans have that same fear that that they're going to drop a game that they shouldn't.
00:46:38
Speaker
they They call it in Lafayette, they call it Cajun disaster syndrome. It's a similar premise across the Sun Belt. Zeke, you even years when Georgia State's good, you know you're always thinking about that one egg that they're going to lay that could derail their entire season.
00:46:56
Speaker
um I'm not saying that you know Clay Helton is this godsent head coach that's going to you know right the ship in Statesboro, but I think that you know when when you look at the the way the schedule is going to play out, like I said off the top,
00:47:13
Speaker
If you're 4-2 after the Southern Miss game, you're going to be well on your way to a nine-win season and an appearance in the conference title game. I think the games that give me pause of the ones I rattled off, I think Arkansas State will not be easy in Jonesboro.
00:47:32
Speaker
Obviously, that hinges entirely on whether or not Arkansas State defense wants to show up or not. And we still don't know what we're going to get out of Southern Miss.
00:47:43
Speaker
That's another one that is a little wildcardy, as is Coastal, especially after the App State game. If you lose Arkansas State, take a bye and then lose at App State, that Coastal Carolina could absolutely begin to be part of a downslide that then falls into and a loss against Old Dominion or Marshall at the end of the season.
00:48:05
Speaker
I think Brian is right in his pessimism in terms of really surpassing anything. like what What's your projected number?
00:48:18
Speaker
Me? Yeah. I think they win seven games. i think they's been it I think they win seven, they go to a bowl game, and then they do their annual we lay an egg in December, and we spend the offseason pretending it didn't happen.
00:48:32
Speaker
So at seven and six, is Clay Helton fired? No, because he just inked a big old extension, because the AD is a genius, and definitely not a dog that rolls over for Clay Helton and lets him pet his belly.
00:48:46
Speaker
Clay Morton's extension runs through 2029, so you're locked into him. He probably has at least till 27 before those conversations start. um i I do like, you know, when Binko, our old AD, left ah at the end of last year,
00:49:07
Speaker
A everybody was glad to be rid of them because he was the ultimate front runner.
Athletic Leadership & Season Predictions
00:49:12
Speaker
Like when we won, you never stopped hearing about it. And when we lost, he would, he was a ghost. Like no one could figure and find him like, especially during the Davis Brin season. No one, everybody was like, it's his office empty. It seems cleaned out.
00:49:23
Speaker
Like where, where is he? Um, So the new AD comes in and and, and people on social media, like Twitter and stuff are vying for him. And he just seems to be the same as Binko, just with a different packaging.
00:49:38
Speaker
Like he's the same dude believes in Clay Hilton to the very end, gives him a giant extension. Cause he finally won eight games. Um, I don't know, man. Like, okay, so here's here's my rundown of the schedule. You ready? All right.
00:49:55
Speaker
I think they beat Fresno on the road because Fresno is starting over with North Dakota State's old head coach. Matt Ince is now their head coach. I think they're starting over. They're obviously going to lose to USC in week two.
00:50:08
Speaker
Jacksonville State is also ah starting over, plus that game's at home. They lost Rich ah rich Rodriguez ah to West Virginia, so I think they win that game. I think they beat Maine, who's an FCS school, or I guess they're still an FCS school, I believe.
00:50:24
Speaker
They're not one of the weird ones that got called up. ah Would you guys like to hazard a guess the last time that Georgia Southern played James Madison and it was within it was the the margin of victory was fewer than seven points? Would you like to take a guess when that was?
00:50:41
Speaker
Probably when both teams were in the FCS. It was October of 1992.
00:50:49
Speaker
Every time a team has played at home in this series, they have won by seven or more points since 1992. Oh, la I don't know why he keeps hitting that sound effect. Like I'm just, these are facts. Like I read them off Windsopedia.
00:51:05
Speaker
All right. So you get a bi-week coming off of that. Southern Miss is going to be a wild card because Zeke, you and I had this talk to me. They have the lowest floor or not the lowest floor, but they have a solid floor of like, I think they win five games, but they could be either a five win team that needs another season to bring more talent over, or they could vie for the West with Louisiana and Southern Miss or ah Texas state.
00:51:33
Speaker
Who knows? Like we'll, we'll have to see. Georgia State, I think, is a win. It's homecoming. you know It's at home. Georgia State got shellacked last year when they played Georgia Southern, and and I think that kind of just repeats. like I don't think Georgia State's ready yet for this level of football.
00:51:54
Speaker
And then at Arkansas State, I do think they win that game, Georgia Southern, just because Arkansas State's defense is so horrendous that they would Georgia Southern would just have to forget how to play offense, which I'm not putting it past them.
00:52:09
Speaker
But Arkansas State's defense is is truly one of a kind like in the conference. It's so bad. All right. Then they get a bye week. Like I said, I wouldn't be shocked if they lost to App on the road ah on November 6th because it's a rivalry game. It's on the road.
00:52:25
Speaker
Georgia Southern and always plays worse on the road. There's no way really around it. I think they beat Coastal. at home I think they lose to Old Dominion at home ah the last couple years they just haven't shown up to play Old Dominion whether it's been at home or on the road um now two years ago it was the Davis Brin experience so take that for what it's worth but last year when i was I was watching that Old Dominion Georgia Southern game I didn't see Georgia Southern have a single answer for Colton Joseph so I say they they lose that one and I think they beat Marshall
00:53:01
Speaker
ah But i think I think what it's going to be is the onus this season, if the James Madison-Georgia Southern game goes like I think where James Madison wins, they're going to have to maintain that lead the whole time.
00:53:16
Speaker
So well we'll see if they can. But we've seen last year, Georgia Southern was in the driver's seat with a two-game advantage in the East and found a way to to blow it. So i this is why, like I said, you can say it's pessimism,
00:53:32
Speaker
those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Like, you know, it's one of those. So it's not pessimism so much as it's like weariness of like, all right, where's the, where's the random road loss where we lose by 30 points going to come in. All right. Where's the random home loss where we lose Detroit last year and, and Caldwell throws for like completes 85% of his passes at home, you know, in Statesboro, where's that game coming in?
00:54:00
Speaker
So you have to kind of factor these things in with, with Clay Hilton.
Impact on Sunbelt Conference & Conclusion
00:54:04
Speaker
yeah Matt, do you have any lingering thoughts before we sign off?
00:54:11
Speaker
No, man. I mean i think we we we've kind of hit it all. um you know Georgia Southern's got a roster that that's able to compete. They've got a schedule that that seems favorable in in more parts than not.
00:54:26
Speaker
It's just going to come down to can they put it all together in order to make it happen? Or, you know, like Brian said, will it be another, you know, season where where fans sit and wonder throughout the offseason what if?
00:54:39
Speaker
um You know, and that's going to be the big question. And hopefully they can avoid it because it's good for the conference when Georgia Southern's really good. um So, you know, we'll see how it plays out.
00:54:50
Speaker
Yeah. Well, Matt, why don't you start and sign us off then and we'll we'll get out here. What an honor for me. You can find us on you can find us on social media at Warm Weather Fans.
00:55:02
Speaker
ah You can find me on social media at MiguezMatt.
00:55:08
Speaker
Yeah, as always, you can find me on X at Warm Weather or at Warm Weather Fans. i'm I'm running that account, so you can find me there, but also at WatchTheStone. ah to To lend one last little bit of credence to the Clay Helton never says anything of value, he claimed that at Sunbelt Media Days, the team had a chip on their shoulder from not making the Sunbelt title game last year.
00:55:31
Speaker
Does that mean anything? Probably not, but let's see. so Email the show, warmweatherfans at gmail.com. Oh, hey, real quick. Sorry.
00:55:43
Speaker
we are having We made this announcement on our Twitter. We are having Phil Steele on. If you have questions, email them to us. Tweet them at us. Whatever. i I will ask Phil Steele on the air. if If the question is not something dumb, I will ask him that on the air.
00:56:00
Speaker
So keep that in mind, everybody. Yeah. Well, you can find me on Twitter at Zeke Palermo, Z-E-K-E-P-A-L-E-R-M-O. As Brian said, you can find the show on Twitter at Warm Weather Fans.
00:56:13
Speaker
We want to hear from you. We want to thank everyone for listening and watching. We just eclipsed 200 subscribers on YouTube. That's a real big milestone we're all very proud of. We appreciate everyone.
00:56:25
Speaker
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00:56:33
Speaker
Alright, with that, thank you up for everyone for watching. I can't get out of here quicker. This has been another episode of Warmwood.