SUN BELT INCREASES NFL ACTIVE ROSTER REPRESENTATION AHEAD OF 2024 SEASON KICKOFF

[AppStFan1]

SUN BELT INCREASES NFL ACTIVE ROSTER REPRESENTATION AHEAD OF 2024 SEASON KICKOFF
NEW ORLEANS – Alumni of Sun Belt Conference football programs are plentiful across National Football League (NFL) rosters with 83 players earning roster spots prior to kickoff of the 2024 season on Thursday, September 5.

Fifty-one former Sun Belt football standouts will suit up during the league’s opening weekend as part of their team’s 53-man active roster which represents an increase for the second consecutive season.

The Sun Belt is represented with at least one alumnus on 31-of-32 NFL franchises and multiple alumni on 23 different teams. Three teams roster at least five alums from the conference including the Buffalo Bills (6), Kansas City Chiefs (5) and New Orleans Saints (5).

Thirteen Sun Belt football programs have at least one alumnus on an NFL roster, as App State leads all schools in the league with 13. Three other schools have double-digit representation including Louisiana, Old Dominion and Southern Miss with 10 apiece.

The Mountaineers and Monarchs lead all programs with eight alums, respectively, on active rosters, followed closely by Marshall (6), Georgia Southern (5) and Louisiana (5).

Twenty-five Sun Belt alums will begin the 2024 campaign on their respective team’s 16-man practice squad, while seven others are currently on injured and other reserve lists.

Linebacker Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints via Arkansas State begins his 13th NFL season and has represented the Sun Belt as an All-Pro selection each of the last five years and in back-to-back Pro Bowl Games.

The Sun Belt has been represented in each of the past six Super Bowls and had an alumnus on all 14 playoff rosters in each of the last two NFL postseasons.

App State
Akeem Davis-Gaither – LB, Cincinnati Bengals
^ Darrynton Evans – RB, Buffalo Bills
Tyrek Funderburk – CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams
* Anderson Hardy – OL, Miami Dolphins
Cooper Hodges – OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
* Shaun Jolly – CB, Los Angeles Rams
D’Marco Jackson – LB, New Orleans Saints
Kendall Lamm – OL, Miami Dolphins
Sam Martin – P, Buffalo Bills
Ryan Neuzil – OL, Atlanta Falcons
* Jalen Virgil – WR, Buffalo Bills
^ Bucky Williams – OL, Los Angeles Chargers

Arkansas State
Demario Davis – LB, New Orleans Saints
Blake Grupe – K, New Orleans Saints

Coastal Carolina
* C.J. Brewer – DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Tarron Jackson – LB, Carolina Panthers
Isaiah Likely – TE, Baltimore Ravens

Georgia Southern
Darrell Baker Jr. – CB, Tennessee Titans
Shemar Bartholomew – CB, Carolina Panthers
Tyler Bass – K, Buffalo Bills
Younghoe Koo – K, Atlanta Falcons
^ NaJee Thompson – CB, Minnesota Vikings
Kindle Vildor – CB, Detroit Lions

Georgia State
Travis Glover – OL, Green Bay Packers
Wil Lutz – K, Denver Broncos

James Madison
* Liam Fornadel – OL, New England Patriots
* Jamree Kromah – DE, Chicago Bears
Aaron Stinnie – OL, New York Giants
* Isaac Ukwu – DE, Detroit Lions
* Mike Greene – DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Louisiana
Percy Butler – S, Washington Commanders
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams
Robert Hunt – OL, Carolina Panthers
* Andre Jones Jr. – DE, Washington Commanders
* Jacob Kibodi – RB, New Orleans Saints
^ Elijah Mitchell – RB, San Francisco 49ers
Max Mitchell – OL, New York Jets
John Stephens Jr. – TE, Dallas Cowboys
^ Nathan Thomas – OL, Dallas Cowboys
* Tracy Walker III – S, San Francisco 49ers

Marshall
Rasheen Ali – RB, Baltimore Ravens
* Josh Ball – OL, Dallas Cowboys
Ethan Driskell – OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Neville Hewitt – LB, Houston Texans
Nazeeh Johnson – S, Kansas City Chiefs
Elias Neal – LB, Los Angeles Rams
Dalton Tucker – OL, Indianapolis Colts

Old Dominion
Tre Hawkins III – CB, New York Giants
* Marcus Haynes – LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Taylor Heinicke – QB, Los Angeles Chargers
* Zack Kuntz – TE, New York Jets
Rick Lovato – LS, Philadelphia Eagles
Zach Pascal – WR, Arizona Cardinals
Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
Stone Smartt – TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Blake Watson – RB, Denver Broncos
Oshane Ximines – LB, New England Patriots

South Alabama
* Carter Bradley – QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Gerald Everett – TE, Chicago Bears
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers
Jeremy Reaves – S, Washington Commanders
Jamie Sheriff – DE, Carolina Panthers
Jalen Tolbert – WR, Dallas Cowboys
* Jalen Wayne – WR, Green Bay Packers

Southern Miss
* Jason Brownlee – WR, New York Jets
* Swayze Bozeman – LB, Kansas City Chiefs
* Natrone Brooks – CB, Atlanta Falcons
* Jason Brownlee – WR, New York Jets
* Frank Gore Jr. – RB, Buffalo Bills
Tim Jones – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
* Tarvarius Moore – S, Chicago Bears
Nick Mullens – QB, Minnesota Vikings
Rakeem Nunez-Roches – DL, New York Giants
* Quez Watkins – WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Texas State
Aaron Brewer – OL, Miami Dolphins

Troy
^ Jake Andrews – OL, New England Patriots
^ Buddha Jones – NT, Seattle Seahawks
Dell Pettus – S, New England Patriots
Javon Solomon – EDGE, Buffalo Bills
* Reddy Steward – CB, Chicago Bears
Kimani Vidal – RB, Los Angeles Chargers

*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve

[AppStFan1]

Here are the numbers for each school:

App State- 13
Louisiana- 10
ODU- 10
Southern Miss- 10
Marshall- 7
South Alabama- 7
Ga Southern- 6
Troy- 6
JMU- 5
CCU- 3
Ark State- 2
Ga State- 2
Texas State- 1

App and ODU both tied for most on 53-man rosters with 8 each.

[AtlAppMan]

Is this a reflection and grade of our recruiting and coaching quality?

[AppStFan1]

Is this a reflection and grade of our recruiting and coaching quality?

I think so.