ATHENS — UGA IX, formerly known as Russ, is on the way out. UGA X, who for one more month will be Que, is on the way in.

Georgia has made it official: The transfer of the prestigious UGA collar will take place next month when Georgia plays Georgia Southern.

UGA IX, who has served as the mascot on and off since 2009, will retire at age 11, after working a total of 63 Georgia football games.

Que, who has been serving at games in a practice role, passed the test. He will officially be collared UGA X on Nov. 21 at halftime.

So will continue the line of UGAs, which has been run by the Seiler family since 1956.

“UGA is cherished by University of Georgia fans worldwide,” UGA president Jere Morehead said in a statement. “We are grateful for Russ’s continued service, and we look forward to welcoming Que as our new mascot.

Russ first stepped in as an interim in 2009, serving in nine games over the next two seasons as UGAs VII and VIII dealt with health issues. Russ stepped in again in 2011 after UGA VIII’s passing, then two games into the 2012 season was given what the school called a “battlefield promotion in 2012.

His final record as the team’s mascot was 44-19.

“We are thrilled to have Que join our long line of mascots and he has already proven to be up to the task of serving as our official mascot,” Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity said in a statement. ”We tip our cap to Russ, who served admirably as UGA IX and has been a great mentor to Que, UGA X. We also thank the remarkable Seiler family for their continued support of our program in such a special way.”