SUN BELT FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 5 OF 14
2026 Season Snapshot • Atlanta, Georgia
1-11 (0-8 Sun Belt)
SBC
Live schedule, lines and results for Georgia State.
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HEAD COACH
Dell McGee — 3rd season at Georgia State
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
5–20 at Georgia State
Spent eight years as Georgia's running backs coach and run-game coordinator under Kirby Smart, developing four different 1,000-yard rushers (Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, D'Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield) before taking over at Georgia State in 2024. His transition to a first head-coaching job has been genuinely difficult — back-to-back losing seasons, capped by a winless conference record in 2025.
GEORGIA STATE ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 1-11 (0-8 Sun Belt), a real step backward from an already- difficult 3-9 debut season in 2024. Georgia State was picked to finish last in the Sun Belt East entering 2025 and did — the preseason expectation matched the outcome.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$853K
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per USA Today's 2025 compensation database (via HERO Sports). Georgia State has not disclosed a team NIL figure. General industry estimates place most Group of 6 roster budgets in the $1-3M range under the current direct revenue-sharing model.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Hue Jackson • 2nd season • Pro-style
The former NFL head coach (Browns, Raiders) enters year two after an offense that struggled significantly in 2025. Must replace WR Ted Hurst, a 3rd-round NFL Draft pick and First-Team All-Sun Belt selection who was the program's clear top offensive weapon.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Cam Clark • John Haneline — 1st season (co-DCs) • Multiple
New co-coordinator structure replacing Travis Pearson after a defense that allowed a Sun Belt-worst scoring margin in 2025. A real, full defensive installation for a program looking for its first signs of stability under McGee.
2025 RECORD
1–11 (0–8 Sun Belt)
A winless conference season that matched preseason expectations (picked last in the East). Georgia State's lone win came in non-conference play; the Panthers were competitive in flashes (a 41-24 shootout loss to Georgia Southern) but couldn't finish games.
HOME FIELD
Center Parc Stadium
Artificial turf, Atlanta. A program in a genuine rebuilding phase, with a coaching staff still searching for its footing after two difficult seasons since McGee's arrival from Georgia's staff.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Room in competition | — | ★★★★★ | Brendon Lewis (16-of-20, 196 yds in the 2025 opener at Memphis) is among the returning options; confirm the 2026 starter closer to Week 1 as Hue Jackson's staff finalizes the competition. |
| RB1 | Sutton Smith | — | ★★★★★ | Flashed in 2025 (14 carries, 74 yds, 1 TD vs. Memphis); positioned as a lead option in the backfield for 2026. |
Brendon Lewis (16-of-20, 196 yds in the 2025 opener at Memphis) is among the returning options; confirm the 2026 starter closer to Week 1 as Hue Jackson's staff finalizes the competition.
Flashed in 2025 (14 carries, 74 yds, 1 TD vs. Memphis); positioned as a lead option in the backfield for 2026.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line under new staff emphasis | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Part of a program-wide rebuild under Hue Jackson's second season; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1. |
Part of a program-wide rebuild under Hue Jackson's second season; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Bryant | DL | 2025 Second-Team All-Sun Belt selection; the clearest returning building block on a defense being installed fresh under new co-defensive coordinators. |
2025 Second-Team All-Sun Belt selection; the clearest returning building block on a defense being installed fresh under new co-defensive coordinators.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary under new co-DCs | DB | ★★★★★ | Part of the full defensive installation under the new coordinator pairing; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses. |
Part of the full defensive installation under the new coordinator pairing; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses.
2025 ATS
2-10
16.7% cover rate — 82nd of 82
2025 Straight up
1-11
Point differential -217
Scoring environment
57.6
Combined points per game — 15th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
1-5 · 1-5
Totals 6-6 O/U (2-4 home, 4-2 road)
Points scored / allowed
19.8 per game scored (74th) · 37.8 allowed (82nd)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory -18.1 (81st) · Strength of schedule -6.9
SRS power rating
-20.9
81st of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-12.5
80th of 82
Defensive SRS
-14.8
82nd of 82
Points (margin of victory)
-18.1 · 81st of 82
Against the spread
2-10 (16.7%) · 82nd of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
57.6 · 15th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Georgia State.
Outside Sun Belt previews specifically describe Georgia State as receiving "a blank slate" for 2026 — not spin, a genuine acknowledgment that the program is starting over after consecutive losing seasons.
McGee's track record developing NFL-caliber running backs at Georgia is real, but a combined 5-20 record through two seasons is an equally real, specific data point.
A new co-DC structure (Cam Clark, John Haneline) joins existing OC Hue Jackson's second season — continued staff experimentation as the program searches for stability.
A program coming off a winless conference season needs foundational improvement up front before anything else — treat every position group, especially this one, as unproven until it shows real progress on tape.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.
