REPORT: Georgia State Parts Ways With Head Coach Jonas Hayes

Zac Capps March 13, 2026 3 minutes read

Georgia State has moved on from men’s basketball head coach Jonas Hayes, per Jon Rothstein. In his four seasons in Atlanta, Hayes led the Panthers to a 48-78 record and a 27-46 mark in conference play.

Sources: Georgia State has parted ways with Jonas Hayes.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 13, 2026

Entering year four, many people knew it had to get better, and it did not. After a poor start in the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Panthers bounced back in conference play to start 6-2 and looked like one of the better teams in the conference. However, they finished the season losing nine of their last 10 games and fell in the first round of the conference tournament as the No. 13 seed. They finished the year with a 10-22 (7-11) record.

The 2022-23 season was year one for Hayes after Panthers head coach Rob Lanier took over the SMU head coaching job. Hayes went 10-21 (3-15 Sun Belt) in his first season as a full-time head coach. While the team didn’t live up to expectations, it did have some bright moments. The Panthers lost by single digits in 12 games, including against Georgia Tech and ranked Auburn.

Year two was the best season of the Hayes era at Georgia State, as he led the Panthers to a 14-17 record (8-10). They were led by Lucas Taylor, who averaged just over 14 points per game before transferring to Syracuse after the season. Despite the improvement, the Panthers still lost in the first round of the conference tournament, this time to Marshall.

The following season saw Georgia State finish with the same conference record as year two, as well as the same number of wins but two more losses, resulting in a 14-19 record. The Panthers got hot late in the season, winning five of their final eight games and picking up their first conference tournament win under Hayes before falling to Marshall once again.

Hayes arrived at Georgia State after leading Xavier to an NIT championship in 2022. After Xavier fired head coach Travis Steele, now the head coach at Miami (Ohio), Hayes took over as the interim coach for the postseason. Hayes led the Musketeers to wins over Florida, Vanderbilt and St. Bonaventure before a one-point win over Texas A&M to claim the NIT crown.

The Atlanta native is the first head coach to be let go of his duties since Rod Barnes in 2011. Georgia State becomes the second opening in the Sun Belt this cycle, joining ULM.