Georgia Southern Eagles Athletics Director Tom Kleinlein released a statement Saturday afternoon affirming that head football coach Tyson Summers would remain in place as coach moving forward.

In the statement, Kleinlein said, "It has long been my policy to evaluate all programs throughout their respective seasons and then comment after their last game. With our football season now complete, I want to end any speculation surrounding the future of Coach Tyson Summers and let our student-athletes, recruits and fans know he is our coach moving forward."

Summers' future had been called into question as the team has struggled despite returning 17 starters from a team that went 9-4 with a bowl victory last season.

But while acknowledging that, Kleinlein said, "I recognize that the results on the field this year were not up to our standards, but as I evaluate the entire scope of our program, there are many aspects that are progressing well as we continue our third year in transition as an FBS program.

"Coach Summers and I have had several meetings over the past few weeks to assess our entire football program, and I have confidence that he has a plan in place and will make the necessary decisions to get us back to the level of excellence that all of Eagle Nation has come to expect. Like all of our head coaches, he has my full support, and I am committed to putting him in a position to be successful in the future, Kleinlein continued in the statement."

Georgia Southern started the season 3-0, but lost seven of its last nine games to record only the fourth losing season since the program was reinstated in 1982. Summers came to the Eagles from Colorado State, where he was defensive coordinator. He replaced Willie Fritz, who went to Tulane after leading the Eagles to a Sun Belt Conference title his first season and GSU's first-ever bowl berth in 2015.