As the fiscal year comes to an end, GSEagles.com sat down with Director of Athletics Jared Benko to get his thoughts on a wide range of topics pertinent to the department. Here below is his fourth State of the Eagle Nation.

Q: The 2023-24 campaign was a record-setting year for academics, on-field performances, fundraising, and the other metrics you judge this department on. How does that set up this athletic department program for next year?
JB: I traditionally track on three primary areas within our department throughout the year: competitive excellence, academic performance and resource generation/fundraising. From a competitive excellence viewpoint, I utilize a baseline of where we finished in the conference. Eleven of our 16 sports that compete in the Sun Belt finished in the top half of the league with men's tennis winning the regular season crown. Our rifle team won the SoCon title once again and was ranked as high as third in the country at one point. So all in all, this was a successful year for us. We try to stack good days on top of good months, and I think you saw that led to success across the department this past year. Our objective is to have all our sports in the top half of the league and win more championships. This past year's achievements were a by-product of four years of embracing a process-driven approach every day, month and year. Everything we do in this department has a sense of purpose and urgency. I often remind our staff and coaches that growth is not always linear; it does not always go up like a rocket ship. But as you look across the department and all our sports, we had record success as an aggregate group. 

Make no mistake, the competitiveness and hard work throughout the department will continue to position us to compete for team championships and take home different titles in various individual sports. But at the end of the day, our number one task is to graduate our student-athletes and prepare them for life after sport. I feel like we're doing a great job of that with our academic staff, led by Ryan Gilbert, as we secured our fourth record-setting yearly grade point average (3.18) during the 2023-24 academic year. The standard for our student-athletes is to earn a degree from Georgia Southern. Our goal is for each of them to leave with a job upon graduation. Our APEX program, led by Gleen Hart and Tracy Ham, is doing a phenomenal job preparing our student-athletes for success after graduation. 

Lastly, thanks to Eagle Nation's continued generosity and unwavering support of the Eagles, we have recorded four consecutive years of record fundraising. Those donations have allowed us to expedite over $100 million in capital projects and to continue to fund our programs at a record level. Those donations are necessary for us to compete at a high level in the Sun Belt Conference. Everyone's budgets are going up, and as the Sun Belt Conference expanded and got better, the bar was raised in terms of resources and talent levels. 

I am very proud of our Athletic Foundation staff and the collective progress they have made each year. But it goes much deeper than that. President Kyle Marrero's alignment, support, and strategy, as well as Trip Addison's leadership of University Advancement, in supporting our 450-plus student-athletes is paramount and a big part of our success. It is hard to put into words how appreciative I am of our donors, alumni, and fans' support of Georgia Southern Athletics!

Q: Speaking of next year, how does this year's success set the department up for the 2024-25 campaign, which is approaching quickly?
JB: Going into next year, I look at several of our sports that are really going to be in a prime position to have a chance to compete for a conference championship. We do not always lead with the sole goal of winning the conference and make it a make-or-break situation because, often, there are variables in a season. It could be injuries that slow you down. Sometimes, you turn it on late, like our baseball team did this past year. So, at the end of the day, our job every year is to get better, and we are doing that. 

Next year, we have a chance for a breakout year, particularly in football and with both basketball programs. I am a big believer in the consistency of leadership, particularly exceptional leadership like Coach Helton has done with our football program. Under his leadership over the past two years, we have positioned ourselves to make considerable progress this fall. We have the deepest roster we have had under Coach Helton, we have the best coaching staff in the Sun Belt, and we "get to" host some marquee matchups in Paulson Stadium this fall. Needless to say, I'm ready to get the season underway and see Paulson Stadium packed for the home opener on Aug. 31!!

I am very encouraged that our basketball programs, led by Charlie Henry and Hana Haden, are poised for much better seasons. Both coaches and their staffs have done an excellent job in recruiting (both high school seniors and transfers through the Portal) to assemble very talented teams. I would encourage everyone in Eagle Nation to purchase tickets and support these teams in our first season of playing in the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center!

At the end of the day, it comes down to people and alignment, and we have some incredible coaches and staff in our 17 programs that partner daily to best position Georgia Southern for success. I fully expect each sport to take additional steps toward bettering their respective programs this upcoming year. 

Q: How does the House v. NCAA settlement and potential revenue sharing with student-athletes affect Georgia Southern?
JB: There's still a lot to be played out. We'll find out more details in the coming months with the House case, but immediately, we plan to see a reduction of anywhere between $350,000 and $500,000 in NCAA revenue annually over the next 10 years. That's a sizable reduction. We're working with extreme urgency to close that revenue gap and mitigate that reduction.

I also think you'll see seismic shifts in funding priorities from conferences and schools and a lot of expense management changes around the country. Here at Georgia Southern, we are continuing to grow our resources while also executing with precision with our expense management. Our top priority has been and will continue to be creating an elite student-athlete experience. 

We are laser-focused on controlling the controllables, so as we wait for further information on this potential settlement and other litigation, we continue to recruit and compete at a high level while growing our resources annually. There is a lot of conjecture everywhere you turn with House v. NCAA, so until we see the final ruling, we continue to prepare and find ways to mitigate adverse changes so we do not miss a beat when substantive legislation is approved for implementation.

Like most organizations, we are resource-based, and that is why the priority will continue to be raising money through our Athletic Foundation and the Eagle Nation Collective. We couldn't do any of this without our fans, alums, and donors, and I am excited about what's on the horizon for this department.

Q: Let's move to facilities. Can you first give us an update on the Hill Convocation Center?
JB: The Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation looks great! I've had a chance to take part in some tours over the past few weeks and have several more coming soon. Every time I go over there, you can see changes, and that's exciting! This facility is a project of almost 100,000 square feet, and it's gone about as well as any capital project I've been associated with, so I want to thank Chris Davis (Athletics COO) as well as Matthew Shingler, Sandi Wilkinson, and the entire facilities group for the work with this project along with our contractor (Whiting-Turner) and architect (LS3P).

The chairback seats have been installed, the court will be put down here soon, and then it'll feel like an arena. We probably won't know an actual completion date until later in the summer. Still, once we're given possession of the building, we need about 30 days to move over the offices, put in furniture, and put up graphics to finish the project. In a perfect world, we would be able to play all of our basketball games this upcoming season in the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, but it's too soon to be able to say that. We're prepared to do that, or to play a few games in Hanner before moving over. 

Coach Henry and Coach Haden have been taking recruits over there, and it has been a tremendous recruiting tool. When this project is done, our student-athletes will have everything they need to be successful. I tell our recruits and their parents that their son or daughter's car will only have to be at three places: their dorm/apartment, at class, and at the facility. Not only will they practice and play there, but the locker room, the training room, the weight room, the fueling station, the team meeting spaces, and the video room will also be in this facility.

Everything we need to run an elite program is in this building. I'm also excited about the Waters College of Health Professions being in the same building. I think we can do some really progressive collaborations that could further help our programs that other schools don't have access to.

Q: Can you give us an update on the baseball renovation project?
JB: We're closing in on the $5 million raised mark, which would allow us to begin construction. We're focused on the last half million or so right now and have some solicitations out to help us reach and surpass that milestone. We'll continue to raise money after we pass that mark, but right now, that's the next significant funding milestone for us.

We have a contractor (Garbutt Construction) and architect (CHA/HGB) on board who have begun preliminary work on the project. We'll begin meeting more regularly here in the summer and fall as we get close to starting construction. Our goal is to begin construction prior to the start of the 2025 season so we can have the new facility online and in use for the 2026 season. We're close to starting this transformative project and that's very exciting!

Q: Can you give us an update on Paulson Stadium and the projects being done there?
JB: At football, our fans will see several exciting enhancements this fall. The most significant change will be the new video board that will be installed this summer. We couldn't add to the width of the board as much as we wanted to due to the support structure in place at the Ted Smith Family Football Center, but I believe our fans will really like what's being installed. We're going from 10-year-old technology to the most hi-def LED scoreboard on the market. This improvement allows us to interact more with our fans and enhances the game-day experience. We're putting in a new ribbon board. Our current ribbon board doesn't go the length of the field, and there are some sight line obstruction issues. We're putting in a ribbon board that goes the length of the field and has no sight line obstruction issues. I can't wait to see it in use during our home opener this fall, especially during the transition from the third to fourth quarters.

Our sound system is also going to be replaced; it's a much-needed upgrade! I spend a lot of time during games walking around the stadium, and I'm fully aware that some parts of the stadium have better audio than others. Our new sound system will significantly enhance the sound distribution in all areas.

You'll see small changes this year relative to ingress and egress in certain premium areas. We're also making some changes with security staffing in some areas. At this time of year, we're constantly looking under every rock and assessing everything so that we can put the best product on display this fall.

Finally, we are also in the final stages of completing some new partnerships that we are excited to announce, each of which will significantly enhance game day experiences in all facilities. 

Q: Can you tell me about any other projects you have in the works for this summer and in the near future?
A: Thanks to Bo Pitts' generous donation, we'll be installing a new state-of-the-art video board and sound system at the soccer and track complex this summer. We've completed many projects over the past four years, but we're aiming to round third and head home in terms of the top-priority projects. 

Honestly, a lot of what we're doing is focused on continuing what we've been doing, which is raising resources for the department and the Eagle Nation Collective to position our coaches, student-athletes, and programs for success. 

Q: You mentioned coming around the corner and heading toward home on some projects, but in the long term, once those are done, what do you feel are some of the next big projects you'd like to tackle?
JB: We have been working on a master plan for Paulson Stadium and what it entails. I'd like to add two large videoboards to the left and right of the Ted Smith Family Football Center to complement the new board, as well. 

One of the things we really want to continue looking at is ways to enhance the softball facility as they continue under Sharon Perkins' leadership. They had a great season, and I'm really excited about next year. Also, at track and soccer, there are some opportunities to improve the locker rooms and continue to improve that facility. 

We've made significant headway during our first four years here in Statesboro in regards to enhancing our facilities. As with all projects, donor interest plays an instrumental role in bringing facility plans to life. 

Q: In terms of areas that aren't outward facing, what are some areas you plan to expand in the future?
JB: I was really pleased with our Leadership Institute with Retired Two-Star General Randall Simmons. Last year was our first year, and our student-athletes got a lot out of the programming that was offered. Going forward, we will add some more curriculum to the institute to take that program to the next level.

In our APEX program, our career placement is at a record high, helping our student-athletes gain jobs and internships. We'll continue to grow that program, as well. 

Q: This past year was record-setting in many ways, and several teams were right there at the end, playing for championships. What will it take for all 17 sports heading into the new academic year to take that next step and get more teams into the NCAA in the postseason for Georgia Southern?
JB: The easiest way to get into the postseason is to win the conference championship because you get an automatic bid. That's great, but playing in the Sun Belt has also opened the door to more access to the postseason with the expansion and making our league more competitive across all the sports. Obviously, the automatic qualifiers are still there, but you're beginning to see more at-large invitations being afforded to Sun Belt teams. Baseball is a great example. I believe this year, there should have been five or six invitations to the Sun Belt for baseball. We had one automatic qualifier and three at-large bids, with all four of them making it to the Regional finals. We will have to continue to earn the respect of the various selection committees to garner more at-large invitations for Sun Belt institutions. 

Supporting the Eagle Nation Collective is the most effective means to ensure that we are doing everything we can to support our coaches, staff and student-athletes. We've created an ecosystem that positions individuals to reach their highest potential, and supporting our collective ensures we are able to recruit the best student-athletes to Statesboro. We have built our teams as Coach Russell did by going after elite local talent, but we'll continue to supplement our rosters through the transfer portal. 

We want to win as soon as possible, but we're also building each program for the long run. We're not going to take any shortcuts. When we take players from the Transfer Portal, we need to ensure they are the right fit for that program's cultures. So you're seeing the continued momentum for this department because we've got the right people in the right spots leading the right student-athletes. To put it mildly, I'm really excited for the 2024-25 season!

Q: Finally, what is your message to Eagle Nation about how they can support this athletic department? 
JB: Our fans are the best in the conference, and I'd put them up there with any school nationally. The advantage we gain at home is directly reflected in their support. College athletics is changing. I know some of these changes have been well received and some have not, but the bottom line is that these changes are happening. I share with our staff that we either have to change, evolve, and become cutting-edge or not change, become dinosaurs, and go extinct. We're not going to become dinosaurs because we're going to continue to be progressive and forward-thinking. We'll continue to embrace our traditions and be proud of those who came before us.

But make no mistake, changes are coming, and we have to be ready to be responsive and proactive. The Eagle Nation Collective will significantly influence our growth and success. If you look across the country, there is a correlation between the teams having success and the amount of money they have in their collective. We have great coaches and are going from good to great with our facilities. Still, we must have NIL support to ensure we do everything we can to position our student-athletes for academic and athletic success. There will continue to be a focus on the Eagle Nation Collective as we try to position ourselves for success both in the Sun Belt and nationally.

I wrap up each Benko Briefing with the same ask to our fan base that I'll repeat now: for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, there are four actions that individuals and companies can take to help us. They are: financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund, buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage, support the Eagle Nation Collective, and get others to do the same! 

Thank you for your time.
JB: Thank you! Hail Southern and G.A.T.A.