The East Division attendees for Sun Belt Conference football media days were announced on Wednesday.
For Marshall, redshirt junior offensive lineman Jalen Slappy and redshirt senior defensive back Cam Smith will join first-year Thundering Herd coach Tony Gibson.
Slappy returns for Marshall after 13 starts at guard in 2024. Marshall had a top-20 rushing attack in Division I FBS last season. Slappy was a three-star recruit out of high school who stayed with Marshall and has since become a major leader as one of few returning starters.
Smith is one of more than 60 new players for Marshall in 2025. He comes from Jackson State along with Tigers teammate Tyas Martin. In 2024, Smith had 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Smith also spent time at Eastern Michigan, playing in 25 games in two seasons.
Gibson is one of three new coaches for SBC programs. Dowell Loggains of Appalachian State and Charles Huff of Southern Miss will also make their first media day appearances for their respective teams.
East Division team representatives will take the stage on July 23 in New Orleans. The West Division will go first a day earlier. Coverage of the event will be broadcast on ESPN+ on both days. SBC commissioner Keith Gill will do a state-of-the-conference address on July 22.
Below are the attendees for the East Division:
Appalachian State
Loggains will be joined by redshirt senior offensive lineman Jayden Ramsey and redshirt senior defensive lineman Shawn Collins.
Loggains is the Mountaineers' 23rd coach. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for South Carolina in 2023 and 2024. Before that, he spent 17 years in the NFL.
Notable players that Loggains coached in Columbia include NFL players Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette.
Ramsey started the final seven games of Appalachian State’s 2024 season at guard. The Mountaineers allowed just 15 sacks while posting five 100-yard rushing games.
Collins appeared in 11 games with one start in 2024, finishing the year with 16 tackles and three tackles for loss with two sacks. He also recovered two fumbles.
Appalachian State finished last season with a 5-6 record.
Coastal Carolina
Tim Beck returns for his third season after a 6-7 record in 2024.
He will be accompanied by redshirt junior offensive lineman Nick Del Grande and graduate linebacker Shane Bruce.
Del Grande was an all-SBC honorable mention in 2024, repeating his honor from 2023. Bruce was also an honorable-mention pick after he posted 26 solo tackles, 49 assists, five tackles for loss and an interception.
Georgia Southern
Clay Helton returns for his fourth season after the Eagles finished 8-5 and were second to Marshall in the East Division in 2024 with a 6-2 conference record.
In 2024, the Eagles played in the New Orleans Bowl, losing to Sam Houston 31-26.
Helton is joined by redshirt junior quarterback JC French IV and redshirt senior defensive lineman Davion Rhodes.
French started in 13 games for the Eagles last season and set a school record in completion percentage at 65.6%. He recorded 2,831 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 interceptions while running for 239 yards and two scores.
Rhodes started in seven games, playing in 13. He had 23 tackles, six for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.
Georgia State
Dell McGee is in his second season with the Panthers after a 3-9 record last year. Georgia State went 1-7 in the SBC.
McGee was a running backs coach for Georgia when it won back-to-back national titles. Georgia State began its football program in 2010.
McGee is a hometown coach, spending eight years at Georgia, two seasons at Georgia Southern and multiple years coaching Georgia prep football in his home state.
McGee will be joined by senior receiver Ted Hurst and redshirt senior defensive lineman Henry Bryant.
Hurst was named to the All-Sun Belt second-team offense in 2024, while Bryant was an honorable mention.
Hurst returns as the leading receiver with 56 receptions for 961 yards. He set a season record with nine touchdowns, including a game-winner in a two-TD game against Vanderbilt. He surpassed 100 receiving yards in four games.
Bryant was an SBC honorable-mention pick in 2024. He totaled 30 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
James Madison
Bob Chesney returns for his second season as the Dukes’ coach. He led James Madison to a 9-4 record in 2024 with a 4-4 SBC mark.
He led James Madison to its first-ever bowl championship in the Boca Raton Bowl. James Madison was both a top 30 scoring offense and defense.
He will be joined by graduate offensive lineman Pat McMurtrie and senior linebacker Trent Hendrick.
McMurtrie was an SBC first-team offensive lineman in 2024. He was named James Madison’s offensive lineman of the year and was the top-rated tackle. He did not allow a sack.
Hendrick started 12 games at linebacker in 2024. He had 54 tackles, 25 solo tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. He had two TFLs, a career-high five solo tackles, a sack and a forced fumble against North Carolina. The Dukes scored a program-best 70 points against the Tar Heels in that game, setting its record against an FBS team.
Old Dominion
Ricky Rahne is the longest-tenured coach in the SBC East as he enters his sixth season. Old Dominion finished with a 5-7 record in 2024.
The Monarchs were the league’s best rushing offense, ranking in the top 15 nationally.
Senior offensive lineman Zach Barlev and redshirt senior defensive lineman Kris Trinidad will join Rahne in New Orleans.
Both Barlev and Trinidad were third-team SBC selections in 2024.
Barlev started in 12 games. He spent the first three at left guard before taking the last nine at left tackle. He was Old Dominion’s highest-graded lineman. The Monarchs finished with more than 200 rushing yards per game and totaled 27 rushing touchdowns. The 2024 squad set the school record with 406 rushing yards against Arkansas State.
Trinidad started 12 games with a career-high 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. He led Old Dominion in sacks, along with making three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
