The Benko Briefing

Dear Eagle Nation,

I hope this note finds you well. It is hard to believe we are [11] days from kicking off the 2023 football season!

Our football team has been hard at work preparing for the season. I was very pleased with our young men's leadership, accountability and hard work throughout the summer under the supervision of football head strength and conditioning coach Robert Stiner. I have often said that a head strength and conditioning coach is the second head coach on any football staff – we are very blessed to have an elite staff led by Coach Stiner!

Watching our team's progression over the past several weeks has been enjoyable, and I have been very impressed with the depth on both sides of the ball. Our offensive and defensive units have been battling all camp. Coach Bryan Ellis and his staff have picked up where they left off last year, as our offense has been explosive in all facets of the game. Coach Brandon Bailey has our defense flying around the ball. We are noticeably bigger up front defensively, and so far, we are further ahead of any defensive unit this time of year since I have been in Statesboro. From a special team's standpoint, Coach Turner West oversees a great battle for our placekicking duties, while freshman punter Alex Smith has been as good as advertised in practice.

We have a big couple of days ahead as we close out fall camp and prepare for game week. Our seniors will get to experience being baptized in "Beautiful Eagle Creek" this week. Coach Russell's spirit is always alive and well, and we think of him often, especially when we see the "magical" waters of Eagle Creek!

I want to thank everyone who came out two Saturdays ago to our Fan and Donor Appreciation scrimmage at Paulson Stadium. We have circled this event on our schedule for the past few years as an opportunity to outwardly thank you for your continued support of our 430+ student-athletes as we prepare to embark on another athletic season.

Looking ahead, it goes without saying that we cannot wait until Saturday, Sept. 2, when we kick off against The Citadel Bulldogs! Our season opener at Paulson Stadium will be our "Welcome Home" game for our former student-athletes. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the game!

Also, please mark your calendar for Friday, Sept. 1, as we are hosting a free concert in the Paulson Stadium parking lot. Country music rising star Conner Smith will headline the concert. Newcomer Vincent Mason will open for Smith at 7 p.m.

A lot of progress has been made on the Anthony P. Tippins Family Training Facility and the adjacent parking lots over the past several weeks. Our team held its first practice in the new facility on Aug. 7 and has utilized it strategically over the past several weeks.

Landscaping and irrigation started getting installed in the adjacent parking lots around the facility last week, and paving will start this week. Progress will continue over the next two weeks as we officially host a grand opening ceremony on Friday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m. Everyone is invited, and we would enjoy seeing you at this monumental event!

Speaking of kickoff being around the corner, season, mini-plan, and single-game ticket sales have gone very well. Our premium areas continue to sell out, with an extensive waiting list for many. As of today, we have sold 29 of 31 tailgate suites in the Anthony P. Tippins Family Training Facility, and I anticipate selling out this week. If you have not decided what your tailgating plans are for this year, I would encourage you to contact our third-party tailgating partner, Revel XP, at 469-405-6048. Our account representative, Marcus Valeiras ([email protected]), will gladly assist you and answer any questions about our turnkey tailgating opportunities inside the Anthony P. Tippins Family Training Facility.

Our women's soccer team picked up where it left off last season after notching the 2022 regular season Sun Belt Championship. The Eagles are off to a 1-1 start and playing impressive soccer early in the season. Two weeks ago, this team tied with the University of Florida in an exhibition game. They return home on Thursday, Aug. 24, against North Florida. The match starts at 6 p.m. – please join us to cheer on our Eagles!

Our volleyball team officially opens its season this Friday when it hosts "Bash in the Boro." The Eagles' first match of the season is at noon on Friday against UNC Greensboro, with a nightcap at 6 p.m. against East Carolina. The Chad Willis-led squad had a nice exhibition win at Furman this past Saturday and will enter the season with a lot of tailwinds from last season.

Our men's soccer team officially opens its season on Thursday at East Tennessee State. Head Coach Lee Squires' squad features a good mixture of returners and newcomers in the very-competitive Sun Belt Conference. The Eagles won one match and tied two in the exhibition season and make their home debut on Sunday, Aug. 27, against UNC Asheville.

The $65 million Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center continues to progress as steel will go vertical in a few weeks. The most recent construction timeline has the project being completed in October 2024. We are excited about celebrating our men's and women's basketball programs' last year in Hanner Fieldhouse this winter while also preparing to transition to the new facility next fall.

The University System of Georgia (USG) officially approved our baseball project at J.I. Clements Stadium on Aug. 8! The Athletic Foundation has a lot of fundraising momentum on this $10 million facility that encompasses over 16,000 square feet of programming. Our Athletic Foundation staff is happy to share more information on this project as we need your help to exceed our fundraising goal to start construction of this state-of-the-art facility!

We were excited to announce our Athletics Leadership Institute last week! We are very blessed and appreciative that Ret. Maj. Gen. Randall Simmons agreed to spearhead this initiative that also partners us with the Georgia Army National Guard and Georgia Southern ROTC leaders. This transformative programming will further equip our 430+ student-athletes to advance their leadership skills while also providing us with a competitive edge amount our peers. You can read more about this exciting programming here:

https://gseagles.com/news/2023/8/16/apex-georgia-southern-athletics-leadership-institute-announced.aspx

We were also excited to kick off our Savannah Happy Hour programming this past Thursday! Head men's basketball coach Charlie Henry visited with fans, donors, and alums at Coach's Corner. Please keep an eye out for future event information soon!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who attended the Eagle Nation Collective's Kick-Off Social on Aug. 11. The sold-out event did not disappoint as over 250 people attended the inaugural event, which raised close to $100,000 for the organization. CBS College Football analyst Rick Neuheisel headlined the night featuring members of our football coaching staff and Georgia Southern student-athletes from several sports. Thank you for your continued support of this impactful organization, as it best positions our student-athletes to maximize their NIL activities. More information on the Eagle Nation Collective can be found by visiting its website - EagleNationNIL.com.

In closing, for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) things that individuals and companies can do to help us: