'Total focus on going 1

Georgia Southern Football opens the 2023 football season this Saturday at Paulson Stadium

Georgia Southern Football opens the 2023 football season this Saturday at Paulson Stadium

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Georgia Southern Football opens the 2023 football season this Saturday at Paulson Stadium

College football is back! Stadium lights across the nation will be shining bright for week one of the college football season.

Georgia Southern University enters the 2023 season picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt East Division after a 6-7 season just one year ago.

Head coach Clay Helton is entering his second season at the helm of the Eagles football program and is excited for the upcoming year based on his opening statement during Monday's press conference.

"College football is here," said Helton. "What an exciting time for coaches, for players, for alumni, for fans to be back and play the game that we love."

“College football is here. ” - Clay HeltonGeorgia Southern hosts The Citadel for the season opener this Saturday at Paulson Stadium! #GATA @GSAthletics @GSAthletics_FB pic.twitter.com/qvFQ751KDf

Quarterback Davis Brin is set to lead the offense this season. The Tulsa transfer gained the respect of not only his teammates but also the coaching staff on his growth from the spring to week one.

"I've been ultra impressed with how he's handled everything," said Helton. "I'm excited for him to get back out on the field and do what he does for a living, and that's play at a high level and win college football games."

Brin has some big shoes to fill after the record-breaking year Kyle Vantrease had last season. The Eagles QB1 is ready to show how productive he can be within the system."He's [Vantrease] defiantly set the bar high," said Brin. "I'm very confident in myself. I'm excited to hit the field and show what I can do."

A new, yet familiar face on the coaching staff is defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey. The Georgia Southern alum comes to the Eagles from Buffalo, where he led one of the top defenses in the nation in forcing turnovers.

Buffalo forced 28 turnovers on the season — the seventh-most in the country and over twice as many as the previous year.

Marques Watson-Trent is Georgia Southern's leader on defense. The linebacker says competing with a talented offensive group in practice helps them prepare for the battles to come.

"Iron sharpens iron," said Watson-Trent. "Getting to compete with those guys every day just helps our game develop."

Georgia Southern opens up its 2023 campaign on Saturday when it hosts The Citadel at Allen E. Paulson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:02 p.m.

"Total focus on going 1-0 this week," said Helton. "Which will be a tall task versus a good Citadel team."