NEW ORLEANS – James Madison’s Jordan McCloud, App State’s Tyrek Funderburk and Texas State’s Kole Wilson secured the final Sun Belt weekly awards after pivotal performances in their respective regular-season finales.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan McCloud, James Madison
(RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
Dukes redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud accounted for a career-high six touchdowns and 329 total yards in James Madison’s 56-14 win over Coastal Carolina to finish the regular season 11-1. The Tampa, Fla., native connected on 26-of-35 passes for 324 passing yards and a career-best five touchdowns, while rushing for another score in the ground game. The regular-season finale was McCloud’s fourth game with at least four passing touchdowns and fifth with at least 300 passing yards this season.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Tyrek Funderburk, App State
(RS Sr., CB – Indian Trail, N.C.)
Mountaineers redshirt senior cornerback Tyrek Funderburk picked off a pair of passes in App State’s 55-27 rivalry win over Georgia Southern to punch its ticket to the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship. The Indian Trail, N.C., product added four tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and two additional pass breakups. Funderburk and the App State defense conceded just two field goals over the final three quarters in the key conference win. Funderburk is tied for the Mountaineer team lead with four interceptions on the season, including two pick sixes.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Kole Wilson, Texas State
(So., WR – Katy, Texas)
Bobcats sophomore wide receiver Kole Wilson accumulated 226 all-purpose yards, as Texas State punctuated its first winning season since 2014 with a 52-44 win over South Alabama. The Katy, Texas, native registered his first career kickoff return touchdown, tying teammate Ismail Mahdi and Georgia Southern’s DeAndre Buchannon for the longest by a Sun Belt player this season at 100 yards. Wilson also added a receiving touchdown and a career-high 102 yards on six catches for the Bobcat offense.
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.)
Week 12 – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS So., RB – Hampton, Ark.)
Week 13 – 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.)
Week 12 – Ethan Johnson, App State (So., CB – Huntersville, N.C.)
Week 13 – Tyrek Funderburk, App State (RS Sr., CB – Indian Trail, N.C.)
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.)
Week 12 – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS So., RB – Hampton, Ark.)
Week 13 – Kole Wilson, Texas State (So., WR – Katy, Texas)