NEW ORLEANS – South Alabama alumnus and Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves posted one of the best defensive games of his professional career while a trio of kickers scored double-digit points for their respective teams to spotlight top performances by Sun Belt Conference alumni during the final week of the 2025-26 National Football League (NFL) regular season.
Reaves registered seven tackles (six solo), two pass deflections and one interception in the Commanders’ 24-17 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The interception was the second of Reaves’ career and first since 2020 after he picked off a 20-yard pass attempt by Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee in the end zone on third down with one minute remaining before halftime and returned it 28 yards before being tackled.
In the scoring column, Georgia State alum and Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz scored 13 points by going 4-for-4 on field goals with one extra point in a 19-3 home win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Lutz made field goals from distances of 41, 26, 24 and 23 yards to finish the regular season 28-for-32 overall while converting all 39 of his extra point attempts for the American Football Conference’s (AFC) No. 1 seed entering the playoffs.
Texas State alum and Detroit Lions kicker also tallied 13 points with a 4-for-5 effort on field goals plus one extra point in the team’s 19-16 road win over the Chicago Bears. Bates made field goals from distances of 42, 34, 30 and 25 yards despite missing an attempt from 53 yards out on the final play of the first half.
Arkansas State product and Indianapolis Colts kicker Blake Grupe compiled his second-highest scoring output of the season with 12 points after going 3-for-3 on field goals and converting all three of his extra point attempts in a 38-30 road loss to the Houston Texans. Grupe’s field goals were made from distances of 50, 39 and 22 yards.
Offensively, Coastal Carolina alum and Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely caught two passes for 32 yards in a 26-24 road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Meanwhile, Southern Miss product and Jacksonville Jaguars backup quarterback Nick Mullens earned snaps and went 2-for-2 passing for 16 yards in the team’s 41-7 home win over the Tennessee Titans.
Troy alum and Chargers running back Kimani Vidal rushed three times for 12 yards and caught one pass but was taken down for a loss of two yards on the play.
Other noteworthy defensive performances included Troy alum and Buffalo Bills second-year edge rusher Javon Solomon earning his first NFL start while recording two solo tackles in a 35-8 home win over the New York Jets. Additionally, Georgia Southern alum and Green Bay Packers cornerback Shemar Bartholomew made his first appearance of the season and team debut before finishing with a career-high four tackles - including one tackle for loss - in a 16-3 road defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.
Sun Belt football alumni held 83 roster spots on 31-of-32 NFL rosters with 42 on active rosters, 28 on practice squads and 13 on injured or other reserve lists. In Week 18 contests, 39 saw game action with 14 earning the start for their respective teams.
All 14 Sun Belt programs have been represented on an NFL roster each week during the 2025-26 campaign. App State leads all Sun Belt teams with 11 former standouts on NFL rosters followed by Louisiana with 10 and South Alabama and Southern Miss with nine apiece.
App State
Akeem Davis-Gaither – LB, Arizona Cardinals (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles)
* Tyrek Funderburk – CB, Minnesota Vikings
* Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams
^ Cooper Hodges – OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
D’Marco Jackson – LB, Chicago Bears (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Shemar Jean-Charles, DB, Seattle Seahawks
Kendall Lamm – OL, Miami Dolphins (1 G)
* Ahmani Marshall – RB, Cleveland Browns
Sam Martin – P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 139 Yards)
^ Jalen McLeod – LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Ryan Neuzil – OL, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 GS)
Arkansas State
* Jacob Bayer – OL, Cincinnati Bengals
* William Bradley-King – LB, San Francisco 49ers
* Mekhi Butler – OL, New England Patriots
Demario Davis – LB, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 6 Tackles)
Blake Grupe – K, Indianapolis Colts (1 G, 1 GS, 3-for-3 FG, 3-for-3 XP)
* Courtney Jackson – WR, Seattle Seahawks
* Trevian Thomas – S, Jacksonville Jaguars
Coastal Carolina
^ Tarron Jackson – DL, San Francisco 49ers
Isaiah Likely – TE, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 2 Receptions, 32 Yards)
Georgia Southern
Darrell Baker Jr. – CB, Tennessee Titans (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Tackles)
Shemar Bartholomew – CB, Green Bay Packers (1 G, 4 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
^ Tyler Bass – K, Buffalo Bills
Kindle Vildor – CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G)
Georgia State
Benjamin Chukwuma – OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G)
^ Travis Glover – OL, Green Bay Packers
Wil Lutz – K, Denver Broncos (1 G, 1 GS, 4-for-4 FG, 1-for-1 XP)
Jamari Thrash - WR, Cleveland Browns
James Madison
* Liam Fornadel, OL, New York Jets
* Jamree Kromah, DE, Chicago Bears
Aaron Stinnie – OL, New York Giants (1 G)
Louisiana
Percy Butler – S, Washington Commanders (1 G)
Dalen Cambre – WR, New York Giants (1 G, 2 Tackles)
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams (DNP)
^ Robert Hunt – OL, Carolina Panthers
* Andre Jones Jr. – DE, Buffalo Bills
Keyon Martin – CB, Baltimore Ravens (DNP)
* Elijah Mitchell – RB, New England Patriots
Max Mitchell – OL, New York Jets (1 G)
* K.C. Ossai – LB, Miami Dolphins
Nate Thomas – OL, Dallas Cowboys (1 G)
ULM
* Car’lin Vigers – CB, Washington Commanders
Marshall
Rasheen Ali – RB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 Rush, 0 Yards, 2 Kickoff Returns, 51 Yards)
^ Ethan Driskell – OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Green – LB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Tackles, 1 Quarterback Hit)
Neville Hewitt – LB, New York Giants (1 G)
Nazeeh Johnson – S, Kansas City Chiefs (1 G, 2 Tackles)
* Elias Neal – LB, Los Angeles Rams
^ J.J. Roberts – S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dalton Tucker – OL, Indianapolis Colts (1 G)
Old Dominion
* Tre Hawkins III – CB, Washington Commanders
^ Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
Stone Smartt – TE, New York Jets (1 G)
^ Blake Watson – RB, Tennessee Titans
Keion White – DL, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 Tackle, 1 Tackle For Loss)
South Alabama
* Carter Bradley – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G)
* Jamaal Pritchett – WR, New York Jets
Jeremy Reaves – S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 GS, 7 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended, 1 Interception, 28 Return Yards)
* Jamie Sheriff – LB, Seattle Seahawks
* Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas – DL, Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Tolbert – WR, Dallas Cowboys (1 G)
Corliss Waitman – P, Pittsburgh Steelers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 119 Yards)
* Jeremiah Webb – WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
^ Cornell Armstrong – CB, Miami Dolphins
* Swayze Bozeman – LB, New York Giants
Natrone Brooks – CB, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Jason Brownlee – WR, Kansas City Chiefs (1 G)
* Frank Gore Jr. – RB, Buffalo Bills
* Tim Jones – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Mullens – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G, 2-for-2, 16 Yards, 3 Rushes, -2 Yards)
^ Rakeem Nunez-Roches – DL, New York Giants
* Quez Watkins – WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Texas State
Jake Bates – K, Detroit Lions (1 G, 1 GS, 4-for-5 FG, 1-for-1 XP)
Aaron Brewer – OL, Miami Dolphins (1 G, 1 GS)
^ Deion Hankins – RB, Chicago Bears
* Kyle Hergel – OL, Chicago Bears
* Nash Jones - OL, Denver Broncos
Troy
Jake Andrews – OL, Houston Texans (1 G, 1 GS)
Dell Pettus – S, New England Patriots (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Javon Solomon – EDGE, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Tackles)
Reddy Steward – CB, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 6 Tackles)
Kimani Vidal – RB, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 3 Rushes, 12 Yards, 1 Reception, -2 Yards)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve