Georgia State hires Dell McGee: Georgia loses key recruiter with Bulldogs assistant off to lead Panthers

Georgia State hired Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee as its next coach following the abrupt departure of Shawn Elliott. McGee, who has also served as Georgia’s run game coordinator since 2019, will reportedly receive a five-year deal. Elliott left his post just a few days into spring practice to become the tight ends coach and run game coordinator at South Carolina. 

“Coach McGee is an outstanding and authentic man with a strong passion for developing young men,” said athletic director Charlie Cobb in a statement. “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. We welcome Linda and Dell to Georgia State University!”

This is the first collegiate head coaching appointment for the 50-year old McGee. It’s also a significant loss for the Bulldogs, as McGee has been one of Georgia’s cornerstone assistants and ace recruiters since he was hired on to Kirby Smart’s inaugural staff in 2016. 

McGee, a native of Georgia who played running back at Auburn, initially joined the Bulldogs in 2016 as assistant head coach and running backs coach on Kirby Smart’s first staff. In the past eight years, McGee has served as the primary recruiter for nine five-star athletes and has spearheaded the effort to land at least 30 players that would be considered blue-chip prospects. 

McGee is 247Sports’ No. 10-ranked recruiter for the 2025 cycle; helped Georgia land commitments from in-state four-star defensive lineman Justus Terry, a top-20 overall prospect in his class, and three-star running back Bo Walker. During McGee’s tenure, Georgia signed five running backs that ranked inside the top 100 nationally in their respective classes. 

McGee’s impact obviously wasn’t limited to the recruiting trail. Georgia has consistently fielded one of the SEC’s best rushing attacks, due in large part to McGee’s work with the running backs and his direction of the run game. The Bulldogs have averaged at least 190 yards rushing in each of the past three seasons. 

Georgia has also had seven running backs selected in the NFL Draft with McGee guiding the position, including Nick Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowl and 2022 second-team All-Pro selection. 

Deep ties to the state 

McGee shouldn’t have any trouble improving Georgia State’s talent base and making key in-roads in the state of Georgia itself, which is one of the nation’s recruiting hotbeds. Not only is McGee a Georgia native, he has spent most of his coaching career in and around the Peach State. 

McGee started his journey in 2002 as the defensive backs coach at Harris County High School. In 2003, he was named the defensive coordinator at Greenville High School. Two years later, McGee earned his first head coaching appointment at Carver-Columbus High School. 

He was able to parlay that experience into an analyst spot on Auburn’s staff before making the move to Georgia Southern in 2014 as running backs coach. He was interim coach for the Eagles in 2015, leading them to a win in the GoDaddy Bowl after Willie Fritz left the program to become the head coach at Tulane. 

So, all but one season of McGee’s 23-year coaching career has been spent in the state of Georgia. His experience should pay off in droves for a Georgia State program that would do well to build from within.