Rebuilding #133

Georgia State

Sun Belt · 2026 preseason baseline

Projection

13.4

SP+ preseason

−25.1

Returning prod.

45%

Recruiting

50%

2026 portal cycle

Inside a standard deviation of zero.

−0.35z

talent-weighted z-score

applied: −0.07 pts

Top gains

  • 4★ SKeenan Nelson Jr. from Ohio State
  • 4★ DLKelze Howard from Oregon State
  • 3★ QBAyden Pereira from Merrimack

Top losses

  • 4★ CBSam McCall to Bethune-Cookman
  • 4★ RBDJay Braswell
  • 3★ QBTJ Finley to Incarnate Word

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2026 portal cycle. See the full portal leaderboard →

2025 season · final grade

The 2025 season, graded.

D CeilingF

Short of the projection.

Realized SP+ −24.5 · SP+ rank #133

Projection

29.7

Realized

15.0

Δ

−14.7

Δ grade

D

Ceiling SECONDARY

F

Projection vs realized

Realized 15.0 Projection 29.7

The yellow tick is Georgia State's August 13, 2025 preseason SP+ rating (−14.2) — the last preseason release before Week 1, from Bill Connelly / ESPN. The dark bar is the final 2025 SP+ (Connelly, post-championship). Both mapped to the 0–100 scale by score = 50 + SP+ × (50/35), clamped [1, 99]. The gap between them is Δ: −14.7. Δ banded A through F gives the letter grade.

What the grade means

A D means Georgia State finished between 6 and 18 points below the projection (Δ −14.7). Short of the number, and not narrowly.

Ceiling grade: F · secondary lens · 50% of downside headroom used. Δ divided by the room Georgia State had to move (upside if Δ is positive, downside if negative). Ceiling normalizes for projection height: a projection-90 team has 10 points of upside room, a projection-50 team has 50.

The letter grade always records the same relationship: realized minus projection, banded A through F. A team can sit in the Elite tier and still receive a D. LSU in 2025 is that case.

Read the methodology →

Offense (2025)

18.6

SP+ offensive rating

Defense (2025)

41.1

SP+ defensive rating (lower = better)

Nat'l SP+ rank

#133

Final 2025 SP+ ranking

2025 portal cycle (context)

Inside a standard deviation of zero.

+0.19z

talent-weighted z-score

Top gains

  • 4★ CBIsaiah Dunson from Baylor
  • 4★ LBZavier Carter from UCF
  • 3★ QBCameran Brown from Texas Tech

Top losses

  • 3★ QBBraylen Ragland to Alabama State
  • 3★ QBKyle Lowe to Southeastern Louisiana
  • 3★ QBZach Gibson to Florida Atlantic

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2025 portal cycle (context).

Returning production (2025): 69% of prior-year PPA back on the field (Bill Connelly's percentPPA metric via CFBD). This is a narrative reference — the 2025 grade itself is Δ vs preseason SP+ only.