The 2021 Georgia Southern Eagles football team represented Georgia Southern University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Eagles played their home games at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Chad Lunsford until he was dismissed mid-season following his third consecutive loss within the first four games of the season. Cornerbacks coach Kevin Whitley was tapped to serve as interim coach until a new head coach was hired by the university. Whitley was in his third year as cornerbacks coach and previously played for Georgia Southern as a four year starter from 1988 to 1991, helping to win two national titles for the Eagles. On November 2, 2021, Clay Helton, former head coach of the USC Trojans, was hired to become the next head coach for Georgia Southern, starting in the 2022 season.
Source:
The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 20, 2021. The Eagles were picked to finish fourth in the East Division.
Offense
2nd team
Defense
1st team
Special teams
2nd teams
The 2021 schedule consisted of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. The Eagles would travel to Sun Belt foes Troy, South Alabama, Texas State, and Appalachian State. Southern would play host to Sun Belt foes Louisiana, Arkansas State, Georgia State, and Coastal Carolina.
The Eagles would host two of the four non-conference opponents at Paulson Stadium, GardnerâÂÂWebb, from NCAA Division I FCS Big South Conference and BYU, a FBS Independent, and would travel to Florida Atlantic of the Conference USA and Arkansas of the Southeastern Conference.