NEW ORLEANS — Two alumni of Sun Belt football programs—running back Jerick McKinnon and safety Nazeeh Johnson—earned rings with the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. 
 
The Sun Belt was represented on the game’s biggest stage for the fifth-straight season, with seven players competing for either the Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles. 
 
Georgia Southern alumnus McKinnon had three catches for 15 yards and four carries for 34—none bigger than the nine-yard rush and slide at the one-yard line on the Chiefs final possession. The heads-up play allowed the Chiefs to run the clock down to 11 seconds ahead of the go-ahead 27-yard field goal. 
 
Marshall product Johnson posted a tackle on the defensive side of the ball for Kansas City. 
 
Wide receivers Zach Pascal out of Old Dominion (2 Catches, 11 Yards) and Quez Watkins out of Southern Miss (1 Catch, 8 Yards) made catches for the Eagles in the losing effort. Long snapper Rick Lovato out of Old Dominion also competed for Philadelphia, while Southern Miss product offensive lineman Cameron Tom and Coastal Carolina alum defensive end Tarron Jackson were members of the team’s practice squad. 
 
The Sun Belt was represented on all 14 playoff rosters following the 2022-23 National Football League (NFL) season.