Georgia Southern Impact Transfer: The Offensive Line

via @brysonbroadway/Instagram

As the countdown continues toward the 2024 football season, we will be taking a look at some of the new faces in the program. Today's challenging choice, likely the last of our impact transfer series, required careful selection.

Today, we’ve chosen to examine the impact of a number of transfers along the Eagles’ offensive line. While all should prove to be valuable assets to the team, I’ve chosen this group in anticipation of their vital role in protecting our quarterback by reducing the number of sacks and paving the way for Jalen White to reach the 1,000 yard mark.

Of 19 offensive linemen that made the roster, nearly a third of them are transfers that have enrolled over the past two years. Not only are these transfers worth taking a look at – many of them are expected to start or play a critical role as backup plug-and-play blockers.

The 2024 season marks the fourth consecutive year with a new offensive line coach in Statesboro, as the program welcomes Zach Lankford to the coaching staff. Lankford brings 13 years of coaching experience to Georgia Southern, having previously served as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Western Kentucky under Tyson Helton – the brother of Eagles’ head coach Clay Helton.

During his last season in the Bluegrass State, the Hilltoppers' offensive line ranked 14th in the nation after allowing just 14 sacks in 2023. Four of his players received postseason honors, with one earning a spot on the Second Team All-Conference. Additionally, several of his pupils have gone on to the NFL under his guidance. The hiring of Coach Lankford is seen as a significant upgrade to the program's offensive line. In a recent interview, Lankford expressed his excitement with having 2 returning starters – both of whom earned Preseason All Sun Belt honors – and plenty of exciting transfers coming back for the fall campaign.

“We're very fortunate,” Lankford says. “We have a lot of guys with good playing experience who have not only played, but played well and done a really good job. You'd expect that from older guys in terms of the maturity level that those guys have and the way that they go about their business. They're grown men. They come to work every day. They know what to do. They know how to get it done.”

When one takes a look at Georgia Southern’s offensive line, the first thing that pops out is the sheer size of the unit overall. I had the opportunity to meet several of them after the spring game. At 6-foot-6, it isn’t often that I’m eye level with many people, but I felt right at home amongst the big men. As a whole, the unit averages out to roughly 6-foot-4 and just a hair under 300 pounds.

The big men look forward to improving on a lackluster 2024 season where they gave up 34 sacks –  a considerable jump from just six in 2022 – and innumerable pressures on former quarterback Davis Brin, many of which led directly or indirectly to an FBS-high 19 interceptions.

And while the Eagles lose a handful of reliable veterans – including longtime Eagles Aaron Pyron, Brian Miller, Khalil Crowder and Rasheed Miller – the aforementioned additions will look to fill the void in a variety of different ways.

Chance Carroll is a redshirt senior who previously played for North Carolina in a backup/depth role. The 6-foot-2, 297-pound lineman played in 8 games for the Tar Heels, several of which were against Power 4 foes. In high school he started all four years, was an all-conference selection and played in the Carolina Shrine Bowl.

Kyle Frazier is a fifth-year transfer from Savannah State, where he started 25 games over the last three seasons for the Tigers. As a two-time second-team All-SIAC honoree, Frazier brings size, athleticism and experience to the Eagles’ offensive line.So far, Frazier likes what he sees in his new home: 

“When I came to the city, you could see that [football is] deeply embedded with the culture and that's one thing I was drawn to,” Frazier said of his time in Statesboro. “I was also impressed with the coaching staff and the players. They didn't have the season they wanted to have last year, so now you can tell there's a hunger and a fight in them to change things for this year.”

Dominic Boyd is a redshirt junior transfer from Alabama State. After starting all 11 games along the most effective offensive line in the conference, Boyd was tabbed as a second-team All-SWAC honoree.

Redshirt sophomore Johnnie Brown III is a transfer from Miami, where he was a walk on. While he has yet to see the field at the collegiate level, the Peach State native earned All-State honors after not allowing a single sack during his senior season at Parkview High School.

Fifth-year tackle Bryson Broadway is a fan favorite and transferred from the Sun Belt team in Atlanta last year. He started in 11 games with the Panthers and played in ten games last year with the Eagles, totaling more than 300 snaps. This experience, as well as knowledge of the Helton schemes, will help him be a likely starter this year.

The final big man to review is redshirt senior Weston Wallace. The Eatonton native transferred from Georgia to Statesboro last year after offering depth for the back-to-back championship seasons. Similar to Broadway, Wallace earned plenty of experience last year and logged just under 300 snaps during the 2023 campaign, as well as featuring in defense and special teams roles.

Following a lackluster year along the offensive line in 2023, there is a considerable amount of room for improvement. The addition of an experienced mind in Lankford should allow for a natural progression in the program’s returners and ease the transition process for each of the Eagles’ new additions.