A Letter From Chris Davis

What a start we have had to the fall semester! Across Georgia Southern Athletics, our student-athletes and coaches continue to represent the Blue and White with tremendous pride. Volleyball has been outstanding in Hanner Fieldhouse, including a strong run through non-conference play. We are especially proud of Coach Chad Willis, who became the all-time winningest coach in program history on Sunday. That is a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to the consistency and culture he and his staff have built within our volleyball program.

Our soccer programs have also given us plenty to celebrate. Women’s soccer is 6-1-2 after a 3-0 win over Arkansas State to open Sun Belt play and has the highest RPI in program history at 42nd, while men’s soccer is 4-1-3. Hannah Douglas turned in the second-fastest performance in program history at the cross country meet last week; women’s golf is off to a strong start after a great result at Vanderbilt, and men’s golf won the Golfweek Fall Challenge for the second year in a row! These results are great reminders that the strength of Eagle Athletics goes well beyond one sport or one season.

Our attention turns to one of the biggest games in the history of Allen E. Paulson Stadium. This Saturday, Houston will become the first Power 4 opponent to visit Paulson Stadium, and tickets are still available to help us #PackPaulson. This is a tremendous opportunity for Eagle Nation to show the country on national TV what Georgia Southern is all about, and I hope you will join us for what will be a special day in Statesboro.

This Friday, we will also celebrate the history and tradition of Georgia Southern Athletics at our Athletics Hall of Fame banquet. It is always special to welcome back Eagles who have helped shape our programs and our university, and this year’s class represents another outstanding group of former student-athletes, coaches and contributors. I look forward to celebrating their accomplishments and sharing the evening with many members of Eagle Nation.

Men’s and women’s basketball is right around the corner and season tickets went on sale last week. I hope you’ll join us in The Hill this winter to cheer on Coach Charlie, Coach Heather and their teams! Also, our rifle team is ranked sixth in the country in the preseason poll and opens the season next Saturday at home against #2 Kentucky.

We continue to closely follow the Protect College Sports Act as it moves through Congress. The Senate has advanced the bipartisan legislation, which now faces additional votes before potentially moving to the House. For Georgia Southern, the importance of this legislation is significant. The bill would establish a national framework for NIL and athlete compensation, provide greater stability around transfers and eligibility, and—particularly important for an institution like ours—include protections for women’s and Olympic sports and opportunities to create additional revenue through pooled media rights. Georgia Southern operates in a very different financial environment than the nation’s largest athletics programs, so establishing consistent national rules and protecting opportunities across all sports will be important to the long-term health and sustainability of college athletics.

Finally, we will soon release our new strategic plan, the True BluePrint, which will be our North Star for the next five years.

Thank you, as always, for your incredible support of our student-athletes and coaches. There is a lot to be excited about, and we are just getting started.

Hail Southern and G.A.T.A.!

Chris Davis

Director of Athletics

Georgia Southern University