STATESBORO - Twelve Georgia Southern student-athletes will be competing this season as college graduates after completing their undergraduate studies with eligibility still remaining.

"We talk about rings, diplomas and leaders here and having twelve student-athletes who will be playing this upcoming season as college graduates shows how serious we are about this mantra," said athletics director Tom Kleinlein. "Reggie Simpkins and his staff have done a great job of getting these young men and women on the right track early on in their careers here and I hope this number continues to rise as we move forward." 

The ten student-athletes who have graduated are:

Matt Anderson - Baseball
Amira Atwater - Women's Basketball
Tyler Bass - Football
Jay Bowdry - Football
Lane Ecton - Football
Jake Edwards - Football
Nakol Franks - Women's Basketball
Colby Ransom - Football
Alex Smith - Football
Donald Rutledge Jr. - Football (Savannah State)
Jack Philp - Men's Soccer (Hartwick)
Nikki McDonald - Women's Basketball (Louisiana Tech)