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Dell McGee Introductory Press Conference

Dell McGee, a Georgia native with 22 years of coaching experience, was introduced as the fourth head football coach in Georgia State in a press conference Monday morning at Center Parc Stadium.

Joined by his wife Linda, McGee was introduced by Georgia State University President Dr. M. Brian Blake and Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb.

"What a great day for our university and for our football program," Cobb said. "When you walk in this building, you see a sign that has the three core values of our athletic program: Compete with a purpose, Selflessness, and Be a Positive Leader. That's what I kept going back to in this process, and I think that defines Dell McGee very well. He's a winner, he's a leader and he exudes positivity."

A native of Columbus, Ga., McGee comes to Georgia State after spending the last eight seasons on the staff at Georgia, where his abilities as a coach and recruiter contributed to the Bulldogs' remarkable run of success under Kirby Smart, highlighted by the back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. He previously coached at Georgia Southern and served seven years as the head coach at Carver-Columbus High School, which he led to the Class AAA state title in 2007.

"We're going to do a tremendous job of recruiting great student-athletes with character who believe in hard work and have a vision for the future of being competitive consistently," McGee said.

"I've coached 21-plus years in the state of Georgia so my teeth are cut in this state. Atlanta is the best city in the nation, and there are great high school programs in this city and this state," he continued.

"I still believe that high school will be the route to go. I'm all about development. We will use the portal to supplement our roster, but we going to carve our teeth in the high school recruiting. There's a lot of talent that goes unnoticed. This state is heavily recruited because it's one of the top states that produce NFL football players, per capita. So we've just got to make sure we find the right diamonds in the rough and develop those guys."

Shortly before the press conference, McGee met with his team for the first time.

"I told them we're going to get the right coaches in place to make them better versions of themselves and compete for championships. And they were very ecstatic. I can tell they're eager to get to work."

McGee said that the Panthers will resume spring practice after the University's spring break, which is the week of March 11.