Early scouting report: Georgia Southern Eagles

Academic calendars are over, summer is heating up and the offseason is in full swing for college football programs around the nation. While rosters are hardly finalized as plenty of transfers still seek destinations, each school has a pretty good sense of what their team will look like come fall.

With that, we'll turn our attention to the Badgers' slate of 2023 opponents. The Badgers will round out their out-of-conference schedule with Georgia Southern, which knows all about the Big Ten — it upset Nebraska in Lincoln last September.

EARLY SCOUTING REPORTS: Buffalo Bulls | Washington State Cougars |

Georgia Southern has made some noise in their relatively short time at the FBS level. After jumping to the FBS in 2014, the Eagles have a winning record and five bowl appearances in nine seasons. After the tenure of Chad Lunsford ended early in the 2021 season, ex-USC head coach Clay Helton would ultimately take over in 2022 and immediately turn the program around.

The Eagles made national noise just two games into Helton's reign by knocking off Nebraska in Lincoln in early September, 45-42. The Eagles came into a hostile Big Ten environment and proved that they could compete under some of the brightest lights in the sport, and they'll be looking to do the same in Madison.

Helton will have to work with a roster that has lost much of its production from a season ago. According to ESPN, the Eagles only return 47 percent of their total production, which is the 11th lowest in the nation. Their offense (37 percent) looks very depleted, while their defense (56 percent) has a little more to hang their hat on.

One of the biggest storylines surrounding Georgia Southern is their defense. It wasn't great, good, or even fine in 2022. Their 487.8 yards-per-game allowed was the third-worst in the nation. Team after team hung 30 points, 40 points on the Eagles to the point where their offense — which was very potent — simply couldn't keep up.

It'll be interesting to see how their identity changes in year two under Helton. For the defense, there's almost nowhere to go but up. Offensively, though, how will they respond after loosing a quarterback that threw for 4,253 yards and 27 touchdowns in Kyle Vantrease?

Georgia Southern is projected to be right around the middle of the pack in the Sun Belt. They manage to avoid Troy and South Alabama on their conference schedule, the latter of which narrowly beat the Eagles a season ago. Those teams look like the cream of the crop in the Sun Belt. However, they still face James Madison and Coastal Carolina — both proven programs in the upper echelon of the conference — in back-to-back weeks. Those two late-September games will tell us a lot about Georgia Southern and just how big of a jump they're ready to make in Helton's second lap around the track.

Cam Williams, Safety, Washington — As mentioned, the Eagles desperately need to shore up a passing defense that ranked 105th nationally in passing yards allowed per game. Enter Williams, the former high three-star safety who spent four years at Washington. The safety showed promise as a freshman in 2019, especially in coverage. Since then, he simply hasn't been able to play a full season. If Williams can stay healthy, he has the potential to be a sneaky ballhawk for Georgia Southern.

TJ Smith, Safety, Kansas State — Helton clearly understands that the Eagles' woes on defense and in the secondary won't be solved overnight, or by one key transfer. That's why he brought in another former Power Five defensive back in Smith. The former Wildcat was used rotationally in 2022, but has been solid in coverage in the back end. He can also play in both the box and in the defensive backfield, which should help him get on the field early.

Anthony Queeley, WR, Syracuse — Georgia Southern lost two of their top four receivers from last season's dangerous passing attack. They'll need to restock on offensive firepower, and Queeley is one of the players that will be tasked with stepping up. The wide out had a promising freshman year in 2020, posting 37 catches for 378 yards and two scores. It's been downhill from there for Queeley, as his numbers took a dip in 2021 and he struggled to stay on the field a year ago. He'll look to crack the rotation at receiver and cash in on what was a friendly offense for pass-catchers under Helton a year ago.

Kyle Vantrease, QB — Vantrease was a very proficient passer for Georgia Southern a season ago, and he shattered both the passing yards and touchdowns categories of the program's record books. His 4,253 yards and 27 touchdowns powered a passing offense that finished a surprisingly good 34th in the nation last year. Now, Vantrease is trying to make an NFL roster, while the Eagles are looking for their next signal caller.

Jeremy Singleton, WR — A beneficiary of Georgia Southern's potent passing game, Singleton reeled in 66 catches for 714 yards and two touchdowns last year, and was still just the third leading receiver on his team. The Eagles return their top two pass catchers, but Singleton's experience and constant production will be missed.

Anthony Wilson, S — Wilson was a vital part of the Eagles' defense a season ago, even an underperforming one. The safety was incredibly versatile, playing 370-plus snaps in both the box and the back end, according to Pro Football Focus. Not to mention how he stuffed the stat sheet with 102 tackles, five passes defended, 1.5 sacks, one pick, and a forced fumble and fumble recovery. His impact will be sorely missed on a defense that needs to improve for the program to take the next step.

- Crowded quarterback room: Following Vantrease's historic season with the program, Georgia Southern needs to determine who his heir apparent is. The options range from former transfers like Davis Brin, JC French and Beau Allen to players who have been with the program such as Colton FitzGerald and Kyle Toole, according to Will Cheney of the Savanah Morning News. Brin appears to have a leg up in the competition, and he reportedly threw a touchdown in the spring game.

- Returning receivers still playing well: According to Briyanna Thompson of TheGeorgeAnne.com, returning receivers Khaleb Hood and Derwin Burgess Jr. reeled in 65 yards and 59 yards in the spring game, respectively. While the quarterback situation is still yet to be figured out, Georgia Southern supporters should feel pretty confident about their returning wide out duo that combined to put up 145 catches, 1,642 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Georgia Southern has some explosive players on offense, but against Wisconsin in particular, the receiver Hood could be a big problem.

Hood has spent four seasons with the Eagles, where he's gotten better each year. He's an alpha, high-volume receiver who caught a whopping 87 passes last year. Hood has the experience and proven ability to cause problems for the Badgers' cornerbacks, who are arguably one of their weakest position groups.

You have to feel pretty confident about Alexander Smith and Ricardo Hallman on the outside, but it's not like either of them are true shutdown corners. An experienced, savvy receiver like Hood could easily get the better of them more times than not on big plays downfield.

Last season, the Badgers' patchwork cornerback room never quite gelled into one cohesive, lockdown unit. If the same situation arises in 2023, Hood, as well as fellow experienced receiver Burgess Jr, could pose a threat to Mike Tressel's secondary.

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