Josh Aubrey, Statesboro Herald.

Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton officially got his second season of preseason practice underway August 2 at Paulson Stadium. The Eagles welcomed some familiar faces along with quite a few veterans as they hit the field for a little over two hours in the first of what will be 25 practices before getting the season started Sept. 2 against The Citadel.

“This is much different than the first day of spring practice when we were trying to put in a new defensive system, which was about a week old,” Helton said. “You can really see how far the defense has come with their communication and knowledge. I also felt the depth was a lot better than it has been. We were holding our breath toward the end of last season, but you look out there now and on both sides of the ball we have the opportunity to play a lot of people.”

Georgia Southern has 40 newcomers who are trying to earn their way into the Eagle system and compete for playing time. Thankfully they have some veteran leaders who can help get them adjusted, including offensive lineman Brian Miller, who is in his seventh season at Georgia Southern.

“This is my last first practice so I was really having fun, but also trying to be there for the younger guys,” Miller said. “It’s their first camp and I was trying to make sure they were in the right place at the right time and trying to be a great leader. I remember my first camp and my head was everywhere trying to figure things out, so I can relate to what they are going through.”

At the conclusion of spring drills, Helton announced that Tulsa transfer Davis Brin will be the Eagles starting quarterback this year. Brin has had a few months to let that sink in and to try to create a tighter bond with his teammates.

“As the starting quarterback, there comes a lot of responsibility,” Brin said. “I was very fortunate to ease into a leadership role here and it was a smooth transition. We did a lot of throwing together this summer to try to help with chemistry. The culture here is amazing and we have been able to create relationships that will help us as a team throughout the season.”

Defensively the Eagles have had a full spring under defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey and his new scheme, which Helton describes as extremely aggressive.

“Coach Bailey has a great defense and I think you will see us flying around and making big plays,” said linebacker Khadry Jackson. “The terminology is different but so is the way we attack. I feel we are much more aggressive out there. As a senior I am trying to be a leader out there by example and I try and bring everyone together.”

The Eagles suffered 15 season-ending injuries last season. Helton has helped build up depth to help with that situation, but he also believes the team is bigger and stronger and are taking more pre-emptive precautions to make sure some of the injuries that happened last year will not occur this season.

Among the steps are looking at players with a history of soft-tissue injuries and working with them to prevent those. Helton also credited team nutritionist Eliza Petersen for creating a regimen of vitamin supplements.

“You take someone like Trevon Locke who was 260 pounds last year, and now he is a 300-pound creature,” Helton said. “We are getting ready to hand out before and after photos to show the guys how much bigger and stronger they are now and what they looked like when they first got here.”

The Eagles will hold their first scrimmage Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Paulson Stadium.