Dell McGee, running backs coach on the Georgia football coaching staff for all eight seasons under Kirby Smart, was announced Friday night as Georgia State's head football coach.

McGee became the second Georgia assistant in the last three months to land a head coach opening after defensive backs coach Fran Brown at Syracuse.

He will be introduced at a press conference Monday morning at 10 a.m. in the University Club at Center Parc Stadium.

“Thank you to President (Brian) Blake, Athletic Director Charlie Cobb and the entire search committee for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Georgia State University,” McGee said in a statement released by the school. “I’ve spent 20-plus years coaching in Georgia. As a native of this state, this opportunity to develop student-athletes here has always been the blessing I knew I was preparing for."

McGee came to Georgia from Georgia Southern, where he got head coach as interim head coach in 2015 when he led that program to its first ever bowl win.

“I am forever grateful for Coach Smart and the University of Georgia for supporting me in my dream of being of a college head coach,” he said.

McGee interviewed with Georgia State officials Thursday, a source told the Athens Banner-Herald. Duke assistant Willie Simmons and Texas A&M assistant Trooper Taylor were also interviewed, according to 247Sports.

Georgia still has an opening for a wide receivers coach after Bryan McClendon left last week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A fourth assistant, safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, stepped into an analyst role.

McGee, who also held the title run game coordinator, has coached and recruited a stable of running backs for the Bulldogs including D’Andre Swift, James Cook, Zamir White and Kendall Milton.

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The Columbus native was head coach at Carver High from 2005-12 where he won a state championship and has ties in the state which certainly made him attractive for the Atlanta school.

He will get a chance to coach his son Austin, a cornerback from Athens Academy who signed with Georgia State in December.

McGee, 50, replaces Shawn Elliott who left to become tight ends coach at South Carolina.

McGee was paid more than Elliott last season. He made $852,000 while Elliott’s salary was $811,000.

Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and McGee were the only remaining members of Smart's first Georgia coaching staff.

McGee has often been asked about his desire to become a head coach again on a longer-term basis.

“I really don’t control that part of the process,” he said before the 2022 season. “Coach Smart has done everything as a mentor that you could do as a head coach and assistant coach. He’s very, very positive when it comes to his assistants moving on. We’ve had several assistants who have moved on to become head coaches and being a part of his pedigree is very special to me.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football assistant Dell McGee close to landing Georgia State job