As the dog days of summer roll on, GSEagles.com is sitting down with each of the 11 position coaches to discuss their room. Up last is offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Aplin.

Q: Coach, what were your general takeaways from spring ball when it came to your quarterbacks group?
RA: Overall, I was really pleased with the progression. The growth we saw, both individually and collectively, was exciting. From a system standpoint, our guys made real strides—especially with some of the checks and communication aspects of the offense. I was impressed with how they operated the system throughout spring.

Q: Which veterans stood out for you this spring?
RA: JC French IV really challenged himself physically—he dropped around 5% body fat between the bowl game and the end of spring ball. That's a big commitment. It's also been great having Turner Helton in the room. He's a veteran who understands the system and how to operate within it. Those two really separated themselves from a knowledge standpoint. And I was proud of Tyler Budge as well. He's still just a redshirt freshman, but he took a nice step forward. It was fun to watch him start to grow into the system.

Q: What about newcomers? Who caught your eye this spring?
RA: Turner did a great job, and then we brought in Charlie Johnston, a true freshman. It's always a challenge to see how a young guy will adjust, especially in our offense—it's complex from a communication standpoint. But Charlie handled it incredibly well. For an 18-year-old just coming in, he's one of the best I've seen at picking it up this quickly. I was really proud of how he carried himself.

Q: Who are your leaders in the quarterback room?
RA: JC has really stepped into that leadership role, especially vocally. That was one of the challenges we gave him going into spring—don't just lead by example, but use your voice more. He's responded really well. And Turner's another vocal guy—you'll hear him on the practice field for sure. Both do a great job encouraging teammates and holding everyone accountable.

Q: For the first time under Coach Helton here, Georgia Southern returns its starting quarterback. How big is that for the offense?
RA: It's huge. When you bring in a new guy, a lot of your focus early on is just getting him up to speed—teaching the system, building a foundation. With JC returning, we've been able to spend more time refining and experimenting. We got to work on us instead on bringing someone up to speed. We've added some new wrinkles that we think will be really effective this fall. Just having that continuity in the system has helped us move faster, and it's allowed us to try things we haven't had the luxury to do in the past.

Q: From a quarterback perspective, what's the top message you're preaching to help this team win?
RA: Consistency. That's the key for quarterbacks. It's not always about the big plays or long touchdowns. It's about keeping us on schedule, avoiding negative plays, and managing the game. We talk a lot about situational mastery—knowing the down and distance, understanding field position, score, time on the clock. It's about making the right decisions. Sometimes that means taking a checkdown, sometimes it means throwing it away. Get us out of bad plays, even if you can't always get us into the perfect one. We have to cut down on turnovers, be efficient, and help us score more touchdowns.

Q: From the offense as a whole, what's your big-picture takeaway from spring—and what are you most excited to see in the fall?
RA: I'm really excited about this group. Even with some new faces, this is one of the closest and most connected groups I've been around. They've bought in fast. This is probably the most depth we've had across the board since I've been here. Yes, it's a young group in many spots, but there's a ton of ability—we just need to get them game-ready. We've made a lot of progress getting the twos and threes to a level where the drop-off isn't as steep when they rotate in. That's a big deal in a physical game like ours.

Some of the newcomers have been incredible. Honestly, it feels like they've been here forever, and that's a great sign. They're coachable, they've embraced the culture, and they've been working their tails off. I can't wait for Eagle Nation to see it.

Q: Everyone knows names like JC French, Pichon Wimbley and Caleb Cook. But who are a few new faces you're excited for fans to see this fall?
RA: A few that come to mind are Ahmon Green and River Helms. They're stepping into major roles at tight end, filling the shoes of Tyler Fromm, Beau Johnson and Evan Lester. That position is critical for us—we ask a lot from our tight ends—so I'm excited to see those guys step up. Camden Brown and Dylan Gary have had great springs at receiver, and Brian Green Jr. is another one who's come along really well.

At running back, getting Terrance Gibbs healthy again will be huge. Jamarian Samuel had a great spring. And then there's Bryce Baker and Taeo Todd, two young guys who are pushing for reps. That whole room has a lot of potential.

And the offensive line… those guys are the engine. When they're rolling, we're rolling. That unit runs the show, and we're going to lean on them to set the tone every week. Big men win championships, and we've got a group up front we can count on.