Entering his fifth season as Georgia Southern head coach, Clay Helton is now tied for the third-longest tenure in modern football history, trailing only Erk Russell and Tim Stowers.

Last season, Helton led the Eagles to a 7-6 record and his first bowl victory as Georgia Southern head coach. He is now 27-25 in his four seasons at GS — and while a bowl victory is nice, Eagle Nation would like to hang a long-awaited Sun Belt Championship banner sooner rather than later.

For that to happen in 2026, a lot of things will have to fall into place in what might best be called an unpredictable season.

Growing the offense

The Georgia Southern offense took a step in the right direction last season, with quarterback J.C. French throwing for 2,929 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Eagle rushing attack was led by senior O.J. Arnold, who rushed for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns. Auburn transfer Camden Brown burst onto the scene with 1,079 yards receiving and set a school record with 12 touchdowns.

The trouble for Helton and offensive coordinator Ryan Aplin is the loss of all three of those players. French transferred to Cincinnati, Brown is trying to make it in the NFL, and Arnold graduated. All 11 starters on offense are gone, either through graduation or the transfer portal, so the Eagles started from scratch this spring, with one of the biggest question marks being the new offensive line.

“I feel like our biggest growth has been in the offensive line,” Helton said. “We were very fortunate last year to have five guys that had played a lot of football, and then to have a really talented second group. That second group has now raised up and are playing elite football.

“The only thing now is, there is a bigger drop from our starters to our second and third group, and that is where we have to grow between now and our first game.”

The good news is that the Eagles got a seasoned quarterback out of the transfer portal in North Carolina’s Max Johnson. Johnson has had his fair share of injuries, but when healthy, he has proven to be quite effective. He has not played a full season since 2021, when he threw for 2,814 yards and 27 touchdowns for LSU.

“I think the biggest thing that stands out with Max is how humble he is,” Aplin said. “When you bring in someone like him, you hope he can be humble and bring the younger guys around, and he has done that.

“He has experience, with over 23 starts in the SEC and last year in North Carolina, and he is used to playing in different systems and has caught on pretty quickly.

“The good thing is we also have a strong quarterback room with Turner Helton, who has a great knowledge of our offense, Weston Bryan and Charlie Johnson, who have really progressed.”

The Eagles also welcome the return of Josh Dallas, one of their top receivers from 2024, who is expected to be back at full strength for the 2026 season.

On the offensive line, the Eagles return a few players with experience, but no starters.

Looking to fill the shoes left by Arnold at running back are David Mbadinga and Terrance Gibbs. The Eagles are high on tight ends River Helms and J.P. Mikhael, and joining Dallas at receiver will be North Carolina transfer Andre Greene, Illinois transfer Ashton Hollins and Taylor Bradshaw, among others.

“We had a few weapons last year,” Helton said. “I think with this year’s group now, I think we have seven or eight different guys who can come out there and help us. We have a host of weapons and I think just more depth than last season.”

Building a strong defense

The Eagle defense ranked among the worst statistically in the entire country for the 2025 season. At the end of the year, Helton made a change at defensive coordinator, hiring former Georgia Southern assistant coach Mike Mutz. With 30 years of experience, Mutz returns to Statesboro after a record-setting three-year run leading the Stephen F. Austin defense.

One area that should be a strength is the secondary, with the return of Tracy Hill Jr. and All-Conference corner Chance Gamble. The Eagles also return Latrell Bullard and Caleb Moore, as well as linebackers M.J. Stroud and Brandon Tyson.

“I have been particularly impressed by our defensive front,” Helton said. “They have been getting penetration into the backfield and causing chaos. Mike’s defense can confuse you as a quarterback as far as protection, and when you combine productive players with an aggressive scheme, it really shows.”

As for special teams, Alex Smith was Georgia Southern’s primary punter in 2025, averaging 42.80 yards per punt. Tripp Bryant returns at kicker, where he went 17-20 on field goal attempts last season.

A lot of talent, newness

The Eagles won their first bowl game under Helton and will be looking to build on that momentum. Doing so will mean hitting on a few of their transfers and getting a healthy Max Johnson for the entire season at quarterback. They will have to rely on their defense and hope Mutz can show quick improvement.

“We have a lot of talent, but we have a lot of newness, and we have to make some chemistry in the next few months,” Helton said. “I have faith in our players and our staff to have these guys ready, but thankfully, we still have quite a few practices between now and our first game.”

2026 Georgia Southern football schedule

Sept. 5 Charleston Southern

Sept. 12 at Clemson

Sept. 19 at Jacksonville State

Sept. 26 Houston

Oct. 3 at Coastal Carolina

Oct. 10 James Madison

Oct. 15 at Old Dominion

Oct. 31 Appalachian State

Nov. 7 Marshall

Nov. 14 at Georgia State

Nov. 21 at Troy

Nov. 28 Louisiana Tech