NEW ORLEANS — Following its sixth bowl appearance in seven seasons, Georgia Southern will open its 2025 campaign on Saturday, August 30, at Fresno State at 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT on FS1. 
 
The opener against the Bulldogs will be the first-ever matchup between the two schools. 
 
Georgia Southern’s non-conference schedule also features a visit to USC (Sept. 6), followed by back-to-back home contests against Jacksonville State (Sept. 13) and Maine (Sept. 20). Alongside annual matchups with their East Division rivals, the Eagles will host Southern Miss (Oct. 9) and visit Arkansas State (Oct. 25) from the Sun Belt West Division. 
 
The Eagles were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt East Division, while claiming 1-of-15 first-place votes in last month’s 2025 Sun Belt Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Fourth-year head coach Clay Helton will guide a roster that returns four All-Sun Belt selections from 2024 and had a conference-leading nine players named to the 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams, including a conference-best seven Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team nods. 
 
Georgia Southern went 8-5 overall in 2024, its best finish during the Clay Helton era. The Eagles were part of the Sun Belt’s eight-team Bowl Season contingent that paced the non-autonomy conferences for the third-straight year. 
 
The Eagles will attempt to post back-to-back seasons with eight-or-more wins for the second time in their FBS history, after rattling off 9-3 and 9-4 marks to open their Sun Belt tenure in 2014 and 2015. 
 
To listen to head coach Clay Helton, redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV and redshirt senior defensive lineman Davion Rhodes’ comments from the 2025 Sun Belt Football Media Days, visit the Sun Belt Conference YouTube page. 



2025 SCHEDULE

8/30	at Fresno State
9/6	at USC
9/13	Jacksonville State
9/20	Maine
9/27	at James Madison*
10/9	Southern Miss*
10/18	Georgia State*
10/25	at Arkansas State*
11/6	at App State*
11/15	Coastal Carolina*
11/22	Old Dominion*
11/29	at Marshall*

* Sun Belt Conference Game 
 
2024 ALL-SUN BELT RETURNERS
Second Team
DB – Chance Gamble, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., DB – Fitzgerald, Ga.) 
 
Third Team
OL – Caleb Cook, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., OL – Brunswick, Ga.)
OL – Pichon Wimbley, Georgia Southern (Sr., OL – Newnan, Ga.) 
 
Honorable Mention
P – Alex Smith, Georgia Southern (Jr., P – Melbourne, Australia) 

2025 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT SELECTIONS
First Team
OL – Caleb Cook, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., OL – Brunswick, Ga.)
OL – Pichon Wimbley, Georgia Southern (Sr., OL – Newnan, Ga.) 
WR – Josh Dallas, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., WR – Sharpsburg, Ga.)
DL – Latrell Bullard, Georgia Southern (Sr., DL – Smyrna, Ga.)
LB – Brendan Harrington, Georgia Southern (7th Yr., LB – Moncure, N.C.)
DB – Chance Gamble, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., DB – Fitzgerald, Ga.) 
P – Alex Smith, Georgia Southern (Jr., P – Melbourne, Australia) 
 
Second Team
WR – Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern (Sr., WR – Washington, Ga.)
DB – Tracy Hill Jr., Georgia Southern (RS Jr., DB – Athens, Ga.)