ATLANTA, GA– After defeating SEC opponent Vanderbilt 36-32 and then having a week off, the Panthers open their league play on September 28 at 3:30 p.m. at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU.

> Georgia State's recent win over Vanderbilt marked the second time in program history that the Panthers defeated a Power 5 school.

> This year's rivalry is the first of the Georgia Grown Bowl presented by Georgia Grown. Georgia Grown aims to support every institution, highlight one of our state's best new rivalry games and showcase Georgia's most important industry – agriculture.

SERIES NOTES: Georgia State and Georgia Southern will meet for the 11th time in program history. The Panthers have won six of 10 meetings with Georgia Southern, including three in a row before losing 41-33 at Statesboro last season.

> The Panthers have won two straight games at home against the Eagles, with Georgia State picking up a 41-33 victory the last time they hosted the Southern school in 2022.

NEW STARTING QB: After a GSU record of 36 consecutive games with Darren Grainger as starting quarterback, Christian Veilleux will hold the position of starting quarterback in the 2024 season.

> After just three games of the season, Veilleux has set his season record with seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing). He previously set the record with seven passing touchdowns at Pitt in the 2023 season.

> Veilleux ranks in the top 10 in the Sun Belt for passing touchdowns (4th with 6), passing yards per game (6th with 239.0) and passing yards per completed pass (9th with 10.10 per completed pass).

> Veilleux has thrown 26 passes in two of the three games so far (Chattanooga and Vanderbilt), which is a season high. The junior transfer leads the Sun Belt and ranks 16th in the FBS with 23.67 passes per game. His 62.8 completion percentage ranks fifth in the conference and 67th nationally.

>The transfer quarterback led the Panthers to an upset win over Vanderbilt, posting a season-high 269 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, also a career high, in the Panthers' 36-32 victory. Veilleux's 18-yard rushing touchdown also set a career high for longest rush. His rushing touchdown was the first of his career.

> Previously, the starting quarterback completed 12 of 34 passes for a total of 238 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers' home opener against Chattanooga, earning his first win of his GSU career (September 7).

> Despite joining the Panthers late in the offseason, Veilluex quickly became the leading contender for the star quarterback position following McGee's hiring.

> The junior transfer from Pitt joins the GSU program for the 2024 season after spending one season at Pittsburgh and two at Penn State. Last season, Veilleux appeared in seven games (five starts) for Pitt, completing 94 of 184 passes for 1,179 yards and seven touchdowns.

MOST IMPORTANT RETURNS: Despite the large influx of newcomers to the 2024 squad, head coach McGee retained several key returnees, including veterans Taylor Williams, Freddie Brock, Dorian Fleming, Kevin Swint, Gavin Pringle And Justin Abraham.

> Veterans Gavin Pringle And Kevin Swint were named to the 2024 Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team after leading the Panthers on defense during the 2023 season.

> Experienced linebacker Kevin Swint leads the Panthers with two sacks and ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and 47th in the FBS.

> Following an impressive performance against SEC rival Vanderbilt, Swint was named Sun Belt Player of the Week after leading the Panthers with eight tackles.

> Swint opened the contest with a forced fumble on the first drive of the game, laying the foundation for the Panthers' victory over Vanderbilt. His 7-yard forced fumble brought Georgia State to the Vanderbilt 20-yard line and allowed the Panthers to score their first points. He recorded his second sack of the game (8 yards) on the first drive of the fourth quarter, establishing the defensive momentum for the final minutes of the game. In addition to his two sacks and the forced fumble, Swint recorded eight tackles (five solo) and two pass breakups. One of his pass breakups came on a 4th-and-3 in the fourth quarter and ultimately gave the Panthers a 29-17 lead, giving Vanderbilt the win.

> Run back Freddie Brock is the Panthers' best runner, totaling 230 yards on 39 attempts. Brock's 230 rushing yards are the fourth-best runner in the Sun Belt and 55th in the FBS.

> The junior running back is the only non-quarterback to score a rushing touchdown this season.

> Brock scored his first touchdown of the season (second of his GSU career) to secure the win against Chattanooga (September 7).

> Brock matched his season-high 23-yard rushing record against Chattanooga (September 7), which he previously set at Georgia Tech (August 31).

> Experienced linebacker Justin Abraham has become a key leader on the Panthers' defense, leading the team in tackles, sacks and tackles for loss. Despite missing one game due to injury, Abraham leads the Panthers in solo tackles (14) and is second in total tackles (17) this season, including two tackles for loss of seven yards. The Hartsville, SC native recorded a 6-yard sack against Chattaooga (Sept. 7).

> Redshirt Senior Gavin Pringle is one of three Panthers to record an interception this season after grabbing his first of the season (fourth at GSU) in a home game against Chattanooga (Sept. 7). The Baltimore, Maryland native leads the conference and ranks 17th nationally in passes defensed (1.3).

> Pringle is fourth on the team with 12 tackles.

> After taking a redshirt in his freshman year in 2023, D-Icey Hopkins began his sophomore season with the first forced fumble for the Panthers this season in the home opener against Chattanooga (September 7).

> After only four starting games in 2023, Sophomore Tight End Dorian Fleming had a breakthrough game against Georgia Tech, scoring the Panthers' first touchdown of the season.

> The Henrico, Virginia native is the second-best player on his team with 145 receiving yards.

Newcomers at the top of the pack: With the Panthers' offseason leadership change, Georgia State retained 65 returnees and added 54 newcomers to the 2024 roster.

> Georgia State saw the largest influx of transfers during the offseason, adding 48 new players to the roster.

> Junior wide receiver Ted Hurst is the Panthers' best receiver with 237 receiving yards this season, ranking sixth in the conference and among the top 100 in the nation.

> Hurst has scored three total touchdowns this season, ranking third in the Sun Belt and 30th in the FBS.

> Hurst Ted was a key factor in the Panthers' 36-32 win over Vanderbilt, scoring two of the Panthers' four touchdowns against the Commodores. One of Hurst's touchdown catches was the game-winning catch with 0:15 left on the clock that clinched the win. Hurst totaled 128 yards on seven catches, including a 33-yard catch that was the longest of the game.

> The Valdosta State transfer led the team with 83 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).

> Senior transfer Xavier Robinson is the Panthers' top linebacker, recording 20 total tackles (13 solo) in three games. Robinson recorded a season-high eight tackles and a sack against Chattanooga (September 7).

> Tulsa transfer Jordan Ford is the Panthers' kick returner and averages 22.0 yards per carry on kickoffs. Ford opened the season with a 30-yard kick return early in the game against Georgia Tech (August 31).

> The senior running back managed a total of 45 yards on seven attempts this season.

> Ford scored the first touchdown of his GSU career in the Panthers' home opener against Chattanooga (Sept. 7).

> Senior transfer Sy'veon Wilkerson is second on the team with 88 rushing yards on 17 carries. The Colorado native posted a 41-yard rush on the first drive of the season against Georgia Tech (August 31), the team's longest run.

THE DELL McGEE ERA: Dell McGee, a native of Columbus, Georgia with 22 years of coaching experience, including two consecutive national titles as running game coordinator and running backs coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, was named the fourth head coach in Georgia State history on February 23, 2024.

> Although this is Dell McGee's first full-time head coaching position, he already had a 1-0 record when he took over as head coach at Georgia State. As interim coach, he led Georgia Southern to a 58-27 victory over Bowling Green in the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl.

> Georgia State, in just its 15th football season and its 11th at the FBS level, has already appeared in six bowl games (4-2 record) and five in the last seven years, including last year's 45-22 victory over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The Panthers have won three straight bowl games in the last four years.

THE PANTHERS STAFF: With the start of the McGee era, the Panthers also provided the 2024 squad with an entirely new coaching staff, which includes a total of 15 new additions who will lead the team.

> Three of the new additions followed head coach McGee, including offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, offensive line coach Manrey Saint-Amour and quarterbacks coach Ryan Williams.

> Cornerbacks coach Antreal Allenwho was named to the 2024 Under 30 list, is the only member of the coaching staff to be retained from the previous management.

Following the conclusion of the Georgia Grown Bowl, the Panthers will have a week off before hosting Old Dominion on October 12. Kickoff time will be announced 12 days in advance.