NEW ORLEANS – Sun Belt alumni were represented on all 14 National Football League (NFL) playoff teams, as multiple former players delivered impact performances during NFL Wild Card Weekend.
Making his postseason debut, Old Dominion product and San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Keion White recorded three tackles and a key sack late in the fourth quarter of a 23-19 road win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday evening.
With the 49ers leading by four points, White sacked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts for a loss of one yard on first down with 1:27 remaining in the game. The stop came following three consecutive pass completions that got the Eagles down to the 49ers 20-yard line and represented the first of four-straight stops to force a turnover on downs en route to the victory.
Also on defense, App State alum and Chicago Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson registered five tackles - including one tackle for loss - in a 31-27 home win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday evening. Jackson played the second most snaps among all Bears defenders and competed on 10 additional snaps on special teams in the contest.
A pair of Troy alumni went head-to-head on Sunday evening as Patriots cornerback Dell Pettus tallied three tackles as part of the team’s impressive defensive performance in a 16-3 home win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday evening. Chargers second year running back Kimani Vidal made his first postseason start and rushed 11 times for 31 yards while adding two catches for 20 yards.
Two years removed from his final college season, Southern Miss alum Frank Gore Jr., made his NFL debut for the Buffalo Bills, as the running back made one catch for six yards in the team’s 27-24 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon.
On special teams, App State alum and Carolina Panthers punter Sam Martin recorded three punts for 168 yards in the team’s 34-31 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday afternoon. Additionally, South Alabama alum and Pittsburgh Steelers punter Corliss Waitman had six punts for 273 yards in a 30-6 home defeat to the Houston Texans on Monday night.
During Wild Card Weekend, 38 Sun Belt alums held roster spots on playoff teams, including 18 listed on active rosters. In that total, 14 played snaps for their respective teams and five earned a start while five earned byes to the Divisional Round as members of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. The Sun Belt will have 25 representatives rostered heading into next weekend’s Divisional Round.
Eighty-three Sun Belt football alumni held roster spots on 31-of-32 NFL rosters at the conclusion of the 2025-26 regular season.
App State
Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams (1 G, 1 Tackle)
^ Cooper Hodges – OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
D’Marco Jackson – LB, Chicago Bears (1 G, 5 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
* Shemar Jean-Charles, DB, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Martin – P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 168 Yards)
^ Jalen McLeod – LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Arkansas State
* William Bradley-King – LB, San Francisco 49ers
* Mekhi Butler – OL, New England Patriots
* Courtney Jackson – WR, Seattle Seahawks
* Trevian Thomas – S, Jacksonville Jaguars
Coastal Carolina
^ Tarron Jackson – DL, San Francisco 49ers
Georgia Southern
Shemar Bartholomew – CB, Green Bay Packers (DNP)
^ Tyler Bass – K, Buffalo Bills
Georgia State
^ Travis Glover – OL, Green Bay Packers
Wil Lutz – K, Denver Broncos (Bye)
James Madison
* Jamree Kromah, DE, Chicago Bears
Louisiana
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams (DNP)
Robert Hunt – OL, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS)
Andre Jones Jr. – DE, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Elijah Mitchell – RB, New England Patriots
Marshall
* Elias Neal – LB, Los Angeles Rams
Old Dominion
Keion White – DL, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 3 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Tackle For Loss)
South Alabama
* Carter Bradley – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G)
* Jamie Sheriff – LB, Seattle Seahawks
* Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas – DL, Seattle Seahawks
Corliss Waitman – P, Pittsburgh Steelers (1 G, 1 GS, 6 Punts, 273 Yards)
* Jeremiah Webb – WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
Frank Gore Jr. – RB, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 Reception, 6 Yards)
Tim Jones – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G)
Nick Mullens – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (DNP)
* Quez Watkins – WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Texas State
^ Deion Hankins – RB, Chicago Bears
* Kyle Hergel – OL, Chicago Bears
Troy
Jake Andrews – OL, Houston Texans (1 G, 1 GS)
Dell Pettus – S, New England Patriots (1 G, 3 Tackles)
Javon Solomon – EDGE, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Kimani Vidal – RB, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 1 GS, 11 Rushes, 31 Yards, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards, 1 Fumble Recovery, 13 Yards)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve