Last Updated on July 22, 2024 1:08 pm
NEW ORLEANS — With App State Football being voted the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference’s East Division and quarterback Joey Aguilar being named the league’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, the Mountaineers had nine players selected for the preseason All-Sun Belt teams announced Monday.
App State led East Division teams with 96 voting points and 12 first-place votes from the league’s 14 coaches, followed by James Madison with 79 voting points and two first-place votes. Texas State paced West Division teams with 92 voting points and nine first-place votes, with Troy receiving four first-place votes and Louisiana picking up one.
Wide receiver Kaedin Robinson and tight end Eli Wilson joined Aguilar as first-team selections from the offensive side, while App State defensive players on the first team were defensive lineman Santana Hopper, outside linebacker Nate Johnson, safety Jordan Favors and cornerback Ethan Johnson.
App State’s second-team selections were kicker Michael Hughes and running back Kanye Roberts.
App State, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern tied for the most selections across the two preseason teams, and the Mountaineers led the way with seven first-team selections.
Aguilar’s 33 touchdown passes during the 2023 regular season allowed him to rank fifth nationally for the entire season, which he finished with additional school records of 3,757 passing yards and 4,002 yards of total offense. Robinson tied for the Sun Belt lead with 10 touchdown catches during a season in which he compiled 905 receiving yards, the highest total in App State’s FBS era, and Wilson ranked in the top three among Sun Belt tight ends in catches (34), yards (350) and touchdown catches (five).
Hopper and Johnson both received Freshman All-America recognition, as Hopper made a late-season surge while contributing 3.5 sacks among his 7.5 tackles for loss and Nate Johnson tied for first nationally among true freshmen with 7.5 sacks. Favors tied for the Sun Belt lead with four interceptions, and Ethan Johnson had 11 pass breakups to go with 56 tackles.
The College Football Network named Hughes a second-team All-American following a season in which he made 19 of 22 field goals, including a game-winning kick from 54 yards, and Roberts was App State’s top rusher five times in the last nine games of a 696-yard season that included seven rushing touchdowns.
Sun Belt Media Days begin Tuesday in New Orleans, with the App State contingent of head coach Shawn Clark, Aguilar and Robinson appearing on the main stage at noon ET (11 a.m. CT). Those interviews will be available live on ESPN+. The Sun Belt will also host studio shows each day, and those will also be available via ESPN+.
2024 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
East Division
1. App State – 96 Points (12)
2. James Madison – 79 Points (2)
3. Coastal Carolina – 67 Points
4. Georgia Southern – 50 Points
5. Marshall – 49 Points
6. Old Dominion – 32 Points
7. Georgia State – 19 Points
West Division
1. Texas State – 92 Points (9)
2. Troy – 68 Points (4)
3. Louisiana – 66 Points (1)
4. Arkansas State – 65 Points
5. South Alabama – 54 Points
6. Southern Miss – 31 Points
7. ULM – 16 Points
2024 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Joey Aguilar, App State (Sr., QB – Antioch, Calif.)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Sr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Offense^
QB – Joey Aguilar, App State (Sr., QB – Antioch, Calif.)
QB – Jordan McCloud, Texas State (RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
RB – Jalen White, Georgia Southern (5th Yr., RB – Daleville, Ala.)
RB – Ismail Mahdi, Texas State (Jr., RB – Murphy, Texas)
OL – Jacob Bayer, Arkansas State (Sr., OL – Grandview, Texas)
OL – Makilan Thomas, Arkansas State (RS Jr., OL – Little Rock, Ark.)
OL – Cole Potts, James Madison (Sr., OL – Johnstown, Ohio)
OL – AJ Gillie, Louisiana (RS Sr., OL – Natchitoches, La.)
OL – Daniel King, Troy (Sr., OL – Cairo, Ga.)
TE – Eli Wilson, App State (Sr., TE – Piedmont, S.C.)
WR – Kaedin Robinson, App State (RS Sr., WR – Asheville, N.C.)
WR – Derwin Burgess Jr., Georgia Southern (Sr., WR – Riverdale, Ga.)
WR – Joey Hobert, Texas State (Sr., WR – San Clemente, Calif.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Defense
DL – Santana Hopper, App State (RS So., DL – Shelby, N.C.)
DL – Nate Martey, Arkansas State (Sr., DL – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
DL – Justin Rhodes, Georgia Southern (5th Yr., DL – Durham, N.C.)
DL – Isaac Walker, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., DL – Greensboro, N.C.)
LB – Nate Johnson, App State (So., LB – Gaffney, S.C.)
LB – Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., LB – Pittsburgh, Pa.)
LB – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Sr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
LB – Ben Bell, Texas State (Sr., LB – Cedar Park, Texas)
DB – Jordan Favors, App State (RS Jr., DB – Griffin, Ga.)
DB – Ethan Johnson, App State (Jr., DB – Huntersville, N.C.)
DB – Gavin Pringle, Georgia State (RS Sr., DB – Baltimore, Md.)
DB – Jaden Voisin, South Alabama (RS Sr., DB – Crestview, Fla.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Special Teams
K – Mason Shipley, Texas State (RS Jr., K – Liberty Hill, Texas)
P – Ryan Hanson, James Madison (RS Sr., P – Elgin, Texas)
RS – Zylan Perry, Louisiana (RS So., RS – Franklin, La.)
AP – Ismail Mahdi, Texas State (Jr., AP – Murphy, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense^
QB – Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (So., QB – Kernersville, N.C.)
RB – Kanye Roberts, App State (RS So., RB – Wallace, N.C.)
RB – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS Jr., RB – Hampton, Ark.)
OL – Chandler Strong, Georgia Southern (RS So., OL – Warner Robins, Ga.)
OL – Pichon Wimbley, Georgia Southern (Jr., OL – Newnan, Ga.)
OL – Tyshawn Wyatt, James Madison (Sr., OL – Richmond, Va.)
OL – Logan Osburn, Marshall (RS Sr., OL – Ona, W.Va.)
OL – Eli Russ, Troy (Jr., OL – Ardmore, Okla.)
TE – Kendall Karr, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., TE – Belmont, N.C.)
WR – Courtney Jackson, Arkansas State (RS Sr., WR – Monroeville, Pa.)
WR – Corey Rucker, Arkansas State (RS Jr., WR – Bentonia, Miss.)
WR – Jamaal Pritchett, South Alabama (Sr., WR – Jackson, Ala.)
WR – Kole Wilson, Texas State (Jr., WR – Katy, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense
DL – Will Whitson, Coastal Carolina (Gr., DL – Cincinnati, Ohio)
DL – Eric O’Neill, James Madison (RS Jr., DL – Staten Island, N.Y.)
DL – Jordan Lawson, Louisiana (RS Jr., DL – Brandon, Miss.)
DL – Denzel Lowry, Old Dominion (RS Jr., DL – Virginia Beach, Va.)
DL – Wy’Kevious Thomas, South Alabama (RS Sr., DL – Riverdale, Ga.)
LB – Charles Willekes, Arkansas State (RS Sr., LB – Rockford, Mich.)
LB – Kevin Swint, Georgia State (Sr., LB – Carrollton, Ga.)
LB – KC Ossai, Louisiana (Sr., LB – Conroe, Texas)
DB – TJ Smith, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., DB – Atlanta, Ga.)
DB – Chauncey Logan, James Madison (Jr., DB – Salem, Va.)
DB – Tyrone Lewis Jr., Louisiana (RS Sr., DB – Hammond, La.)
DB – Kaleb Culp, Texas State (Sr., DB – Dallas, Texas)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Special Teams
K – Michael Hughes, App State (Sr., K – Charleston, W.Va.)
P – Robert Cole, Troy (Sr., P – Coral Springs, Fla.)
RS – DeAndre Buchannon, Georgia Southern (So., RS – Atlanta, Ga.)
AP – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS Jr., AP – Hampton, Ark.)
^ Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team & Second Team Offense Expanded Due to Ties in Voting
