Sports
Concerts headlined by country music stars, like alum Cole Swindell, have upped the profile of the Eagle Nation Fund, which raises money to compensate athletes in the pay-for-play era.
Georgia Southern Eagle Nation Fund donors were treated to an intimate acoustic concert, In the Round, on Nov. 14, 2025 at the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center. (AJ Henderson/Georgia Southern Athletics)
No huddle: How Georgia Southern football navigates the fast-changing competitive landscape
College sports is fast becoming professionalized. Star quarterbacks and pass rushers now attract seven-figure paychecks through revenue-sharing deals with their schools. Players in search of better compensation or playing time can now switch teams through a quasi-free agency process known as the transfer portal. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will explore how Georgia schools at various competition levels are navigating this changing landscape in this periodic series.
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Sisters Kendra, left, and Krista Slaubaugh of Tigirlily Gold were among the country music stars to play at the 2025 In the Round concert. (AJ Henderson/Georgia Southern Athletics)
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Early adopter
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Cole Swindell and Friends perform at the 2024 GATA Jam, a country music festival held each spring at the Georgia Southern football practice fields. (AJ Henderson/Georgia Southern Athletics)
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College Football Hall of Fame member Mack Brown headlined the 2025 Georgia Southern Football Kickoff Dinner at Jack & Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center. (AJ Henderson/Georgia Southern Athletics)
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Georgia Southern staged its football preview event for donors on the floor of the university’s basketball arena, the Hill Convocation Center. (AJ Henderson/Georgia Southern Athletics)
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Photo of Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton at the Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on July 26, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by AJ Henderson/Sun Belt Conference)
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
