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My Take: New Year's resolutions for the top of the Eagle Nation
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Tom Kleinlein, Georgia Southern's new director of athletics, saw a SoCon tournament championship in women's soccer and regular-season titles in football and volleyball during the fall. Not a bad start.

Happy New Year, Eagle Nation!
New Year’s resolutions are a popular topic among the media at this time of the year (the beginning), so why not jump on the bandwagon and offer some suggestions to the folks at the top of the Eagle Nation?

    Tom Kleinlein — GSU athletics director
    As you may have heard, former GSU president Bruce Grube used to say, "It's not a matter of if, but when," or something along those lines, when referring to the program's potential move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision.
    You also may have heard that the Eagle Nation collectively rolled its eyes whenever he said it.
    Well, GSU's current president, Brooks Keel, has said something similar. Only difference is that there's been action — lots of it — to go along with the words. Keel wants to maximise the athletics department's ability to reach the nation with a positive message about the university.
    The point here is not that a resolution to make it happen in 2013 is a mandate. You've already said, in line with Keel's goals, that it's the plan. The Eagle Nation knows that there are factors outside your control here. GSU isn't going anywhere without an invitation.
    No, the Eagle Nation just wants to see a simple resolution make sure word and action line up. That's all. That's what the Eagle Nation wants, and that's what you've given it so far. So keep it coming.

    Jeff Monken — GSU football coach
    It's difficult to suggest that resolving to change anything is a good idea.
    After all, 31 wins in three years and three trips to the FCS semifinals is (almost) as much as anybody can ask.
    So the only real resolution is to stay the course, other than spending more time making sure the team improves one three-step process on the field — snap-hold-kick.

    Charlton Young, GSU men's basketball coach
    It can't be understated that the win in March, 2012, in Asheville, N.C., against Chattanooga, was huge for your team. Winning a game in the Southern Conference tournament was enormous, especially considering that in the last 20 years, it's only happened 12 times (I still don't believe it) and yours was the first since 2006.
    You've already addressed your team's biggest deficiency — size — and that's not going to change this season without an enormous biscuits-and-gravy regimen.
    So, the suggested resolution was going to be to beat a team with a "name" this season, but you guys already did it against Virginia Tech.
    Whatever they were doing that day, resolve to bottle it, slap a label that says, "'The' Georgia Southern University" on it, and use it to take that next step in the SoCon tournament. Because the only thing that could energize the Eagle Nation more than success on the football field would be a trip to March Madness.

    Rodney Hennon, GSU baseball coach
    You've backed yourself into a corner.
    Georgia Southern baseball is now expected to be a national player in Division I, and you've kept it there. So suggesting a resolution to change anything would be a risky proposition.
    So, how about this — when the season begins on Feb. 15, in J.I. Clements Stadium, just stick it to the Georgia Bulldogs.
     After all, wouldn't be the first time.

    Matt Yogus may be reached at (912) 489-9408.