By Dr. Hal Wilson and Reid Teatsorth

On Dec. 23, 2020, the Georgia Southern University Coaching Education Program announced our first-ever "Students of the Semester" to recognize outstanding achievement in fall courses. Honorees were nominated by the Coaching Education faculty for their performance during the semester. This inaugural class of eleven honorees included five graduate students and six undergraduate students, including one coaching minor of the semester.

Congratulations to Vernon Payne, a Fall 2020 Georgia Southern Coaching Education Student of the Semester! A Nashville, GA native, Payne excelled in his KINS 3428 (Coaching Football), KINS 3430 Principles of Coaching) courses led by Dr. Drew Zwald and also his  KINS 3427 (Coaching Basketball) taught by Dr. Hal Wilson. 

A well-rounded student, Payne is majoring in Interdisciplinary studies, with an emphasis in coaching and photography with a minor in nutrition and food science.

"Vernon had excellent class participation and grades in both Coaching Football and Principles of Coaching," said Dr. Drew Zwald. Payne also impressed Dr. Hal Wilson, who noted "Coach Payne always had a great attitude and did his absolute best on every assignment. You can't ask for more than that."

For his part, Payne felt that the knowledge he gained through his courses was challenging, but valuable. 

"The coaching education classes I took this semester were a bit challenging but rewarding with amount of knowledge that I gained from the course. Just simply reading over the material and looking at it a couple of times did do some good but with me going that extra mile it sure did help me out a lot more each day." 

Congratulations again to Coach Vernon Payne, a Georgia Southern University Coaching Education Undergraduate Student of the Semester for Fall 2020!

About Georgia Southern Coaching Education: Georgia Southern University is a national leader in Coaching Education, preparing coaches of all sports and levels to be a positive influence on their athletes and communities. We are proud to be one of the first universities in the nation to earn national accreditation for both our fully-online master's degree and our undergraduate Coaching Minor. Follow us on social media @GSCoachEd.