Former Auburn football player Dell McGee is close to being hired as head coach at Georgia State, according to multiple reports.

The 50-year-old McGee has been running backs coach at Georgia since 2016, helping the Bulldogs to three SEC championships and a pair of national championships in that time. He was also assistant head coach for his first three seasons at UGA, but added the title of run game coordinator in 2019.

McGee would replace Shawn Elliott, who resigned last week to become tight ends coach at South Carolina. The Panthers had already begun spring practice when Elliott departed, but got special permission from the NCAA and Sun Belt Conference to postpone workouts and their spring game until a new coach was in place.

A native of Columbus, Ga., McGee was a multi-year starter at defensive back for Auburn in the early 1990s. Most famously, he had an interception late in the fourth quarter of the 1993 Iron Bowl, helping the Tigers secure a 22-14 victory over Alabama and an 11-0 finish to the season.

McGee played four seasons in the NFL and also spent time in NFL Europe, the XFL and the Arena Football League. Following several years as a high school coach in his home state (including eight seasons as head coach at Carver High School in Columbus), he was hired as an analyst by Gus Malzahn at Auburn in 2013.

After helping the Tigers to an SEC championship and a berth in the BCS title game, McGee was hired as running backs coach at Georgia Southern in 2014. He served as interim head coach for the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl after Willie Fritz departed for Tulane, and led the Eagles to a 58-27 victory over Bowling Green.

McGee was then hired for Kirby Smart’s first Georgia staff in 2016. He is regarded as one of the top recruiters in the country, having been named National Recruiter of the Year by both Rivals.com and 247 Sports in 2018.

McGee would inherit a Georgia State team that went 7-6 in 2023, beating Utah State 45-22 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The Panthers open the 2024 season Aug. 31 at Georgia Tech.