STATESBORO — For those who thought we were done with the French after the Olympics concluded, word surfaced on Tuesday that Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton had named J.C. French as the Eagles’ starting quarterback.

Georgia Southern opens the season Saturday at Paulson Stadium against Boise State. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

“It was a great battle between three talented young men, but ultimately it came down to decision making, execution and protecting the football,” Helton said. “We graded every snap all camp in live team atmosphere and at the end of the day JC did the best job.”

Last year, Eagles quarterback Davis Brin led the nation in interceptions, so it was no surprise that ball security was tops on the list for what Helton was looking for in a quarterback.

“When you look at the job they did in live atmospheres J.C. did the best job, but it was very close,” Helton said. “They all did a terrific job, but J.C. protected the ball the most. I think he had one interception for 154 throws, which is an elite number. He also produced more explosive plays down the field than any other quarterback.”

Helton praised the work done by David Dallas who is now the backup, and Dexter Willaims who has been named the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart.

“It was neat to be able to sit down with all of them after the decision and be able to let them know where they are now,” Helton said. “They all said they are planning to keep improving and still competing and trying to lead and do what is right for this team. They also said when given the chance they plan to make the most of their opportunity.”

French played sparingly last season, despite Brin’s struggles. He eventually got some extended playing time against Appalachian State before an injury ended his season. Helton said he thought French was not ready to be a starter but said he showed some signs toward the middle of the season.

“I think he is a much more serious player this year,” Helton said. “He transferred into a different kind of college atmosphere from a big city to a college town. When we got about halfway through the season you could see him figure out he could be a big-time college quarterback and he took it seriously. He became a master of his craft. He knew the competition coming into this season would be very tough and he has progressed nicely all the way until now.”

French believes the new offense implemented by offensive coordinator Ryan Aplin will open things up much more this year and plays into the strengths of all three quarterbacks, who are much more mobile than the starters the last two years.

“Being able to use your feet as a quarterback is a huge advantage, and I believe all three of us do it at a high level,” French said. “It really puts pressure on a defense and coach Aplin has implemented that in our offense. It’s been fun to explore new things as an offense and really get to know what you can and cannot do, and what you like. I think the quarterback runs and RPOs are really going to help us be successful on offense.”

A native of Roswell, French played in 10 games last season as the Eagles’ No. 2 quarterback. He completed 13 of 16 passes (81%) for 122 yards and a touchdown with one interception and also ran the ball 14 times for 48 yards.

French was rated the No. 21 dual threat quarterback in the country coming out of Blessed Trinity by ESPN.com and redshirted in 2022 while at Memphis.