Dell McGee named head coach at Georgia State

Georgia State has been without a head coach after Shawn Elliott abruptly left after the start of spring practice to become the running-game coordinator and tight ends coach at South Carolina earlier this month.

McGee, 50, is the fourth head coach in the history of the Georgia State program. An introductory press conference will be held on Monday.

“Thank you to President (Brian) Blake, Athletic Director Charlie Cobb and the entire search committee for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Georgia State University,” McGee said in a statement released by the school. “I’ve spent 20-plus years coaching in Georgia. As a native of this state, this opportunity to develop student-athletes here has always been the blessing I knew I was preparing for. I am forever grateful for Coach (Kirby) Smart and the University of Georgia for supporting me in my dream of being of a college head coach. Georgia State is primed for success. As a premiere institution in the best city in America, I can’t wait to lead the football program as we compete for championships.”

McGee, who is from Columbus and has ties across the state, began his career as head coach at Carver-Columbus High School. He also was an assistant coach at Georgia Southern for two seasons. He was named interim coach in 2015 and went 1-0. He led Georgia Southern to a win in the GoDaddy Bowl after Willie Fritz left to become the head coach at Tulane.

McGee was one of the original hires to Smart’s staff when he took over at Georgia in 2016.

McGee will get a chance to coach his son at Georgia State. Austin McGee, a senior at Athens Academy, signed as a member of the 2024 signing class.

“We are proud to announce Coach Dell McGee as our head football coach,” Cobb said in a statement. “Coach McGee is an outstanding and authentic man with a strong passion for developing young men. His track record of competitive success at the high school and college levels makes me confident that he will lead our football program to its greatest achievements.”

Georgia State was 7-6 season last season, including a win over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Spring practices and the spring game were postponed after Elliott’s departure. In 2023, Elliott earned $811,000. At South Carolina, he will make $750,000 in the first two years and $775,000 in the last year of a three-year deal. McGee made $850,000 at Georgia last season.

Georgia State has gone to six bowl games in the last nine years, winning four, including three in the last four seasons.

McGee played at Auburn and was drafted in the fifth round (No. 162 overall) by the Cardinals in 1996. As a defensive back, he appeared in three games for the Cardinals in 1998. He also played in the NFL for the Lions, as well as in NFL Europe, the XFL and the Arena Football League in a seven-year professional career.

McGee began his coaching career as defensive backs coach at Harris County High in 2002. He then served as defensive coordinator at Greenville High from 2003-04. He was the head coach at Carver-Columbus High from 2005-12. He was an analyst at Auburn in 2013. He joined Georgia Southern in 2014 and served as running backs coach and then assistant head coach before joining Georgia in 2016.