NEW ORLEANS – James Madison’s Jordan McCloud, Troy’s Javon Solomon and Marshall’s Jayden Harrison earn Sun Belt weekly awards following record-setting outings.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan McCloud, James Madison
(RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
Dukes redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud threw for a career-high and Bridgeforth Stadium record 457 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-6 non-conference win over UConn to help James Madison improve to 10-0 on the season. The Tampa, Fla., native completed 33-of-37 passes—one completion shy of the Dukes single-game program record. McCloud’s 457 passing yards were the second-most by a James Madison quarterback, while his 453 yards of total offense established a new Bridgeforth Stadium record. This is the third-straight game that McCloud has tallied at least 300 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Javon Solomon, Troy
(Jr., DE – Tallahassee, Fla.)
Trojans junior defensive end Javon Solomon tied the Troy single-game program record with four sacks in Troy’s 45-14 win over ULM that clinched the Sun Belt West Division crown for the second-straight season. The Tallahassee, Fla., product’s four sacks are tied for the most in a game at the FBS level this season and the fourth-most in a game in Sun Belt history. Solomon also added eight tackles and a quarterback hurry. Troy’s defensive unit sacked ULM nine times in the game—the most in Trojans program history in a Sun Belt Conference game and the second-most by a team at the FBS level this season.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Jayden Harrison, Marshall
(RS Jr., WR – Antioch, Tenn.)
Thundering Herd redshirt junior wide receiver Jayden Harrison set the tone for Marshall in a 38-33 win over Georgia Southern, as the team honored the 75 souls lost in the crash of Southern Airways Flight 932 on Nov. 14, 1970. Harrison returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown—his second kickoff return for a touchdown this season and the first time Marshall opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown since Harrison did so against Florida Atlantic in 2021. The Antioch, Tenn., native leads the nation with two kickoff return touchdowns and an average of 32.5 yards per kickoff return.
2023 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – TJ Finley, Texas State (RS So., QB – Ponchatoula, La.)
Week 2 – Davis Brin, Georgia Southern (6th Yr., QB – Boerne, Texas)
Week 3 – Darren Grainger, Georgia State (RS Sr., QB – Conway, S.C.)
Week 4 – Rasheen Ali, Marshall (Jr., RB – Cleveland, Ohio)
Week 5 – Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (Fr., QB – Kernersville, N.C.)
Week 6 – Kimani Vidal, Troy (Jr., RB – Marietta, Ga.)
Week 7 – Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., QB – Indian Trail, N.C.)
Week 8 – Jalen White, Georgia Southern (Sr., RB – Daleville, Ala.)
Week 9 – Gunnar Watson, Troy (Sr., QB – Butler, Ga.)
Week 10 – Jordan McCloud, James Madison (RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
Week 11 – Jordan McCloud, James Madison (RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
2023 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Clayton Isbell, Coastal Carolina (Super Sr., S – St. Charles, Ill.)
Week 2 – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
Week 3 – LaMareon James, Old Dominion (Jr., CB – Norfolk, Va.)
Week 4 – Brian Holloway, Texas State (RS Sr., LB – Clear Lake, Texas)
Week 5 – Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., LB – Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Week 6 – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
Week 7 – Richard Jibunor, Troy (Sr., BAN – Delta State, Nigeria)
Week 8 – Jalen Green, James Madison (Sr., DL – Baltimore, Md.)
Week 9 – Cameron Whitfield, Louisiana (RS So., LB – Houston, Texas)
Week 10 – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
Week 11 – Javon Solomon, Troy (Jr., DE – Tallahassee, Fla.)
2023 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Andrew Stein, Southern Miss (RS Jr., K – Slidell, La.)
Week 2 – Aiden Fisher, James Madison (So., LB – Fredericksburg, Va.)
Week 3 – Camden Wise, James Madison (RS Sr., K – Blacksburg, Va.)
Week 4 – Dominic Zvada, Arkansas State (So., K – Chandler Ariz.)
Week 5 – Michael Hughes, App State (Jr., K – Charleston, W.Va.)
Week 6 – Dalen Cambre, Louisiana (RS Jr., WR – Lafayette, La.)
Week 7 – Scott Taylor Renfroe, Troy (So., K – Troy, Ala.)
Week 8 – Ryan Hanson, James Madison (RS Jr., P – Elgin, Texas)
Week 9 – Michael Lantz, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., K – Peachtree City, Ga.)
Week 10 – Dominic Zvada, Arkansas State (So., K – Chandler, Ariz.)
Week 11 – Jayden Harrison, Marshall (RS Jr., WR – Antioch, Tenn.)