NEW ORLEANS – Coastal Carolina product and Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely carded the first multi-touchdown performance of his NFL career to highlight the Sun Belt alumni efforts in Week 17 of the National Football League (NFL) season.
Likely hauled in two catches for 42 yards—with both going for touchdowns. San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell out of Louisiana also struck paydirt with his first touchdown of the season, as part of a season-high 80-yard rushing day.
Quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Nick Mullens each split time for their respective teams. Old Dominion alumnus Heinicke completed 10-of-29 passes for 163 yards and a score and rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown in his fourth start for the Atlanta Falcons. Southern Miss product Mullens converted 13-of-22 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown and rushed for six yards for the Minnesota Vikings.
Three additional receivers had 20-or-more yard days in Week 17—tight end Gerald Everett (South Alabama, Los Angeles Chargers) with 37 yards on five touches; wide receiver Jason Brownlee (Southern Miss, New York Jets) with 28 yards on two catches; and tight end Stone Smartt (Old Dominion, Los Angeles Chargers) with 23 yards on two receptions.
Defensively, three Sun Belt alumni either forced or recovered fumbles. Arkansas State product linebacker Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints posted four tackles and a tackle for loss, along with a 20-yard fumble recovery return. Georgia Southern alumnus cornerback Najee Thompson returned a fumble recovery 13 yards and added a tackle for the Minnesota Vikings. Fellow Eagle alum and Detroit Lions defensive back Kindle Vildor forced a fumble, while also accumulating five tackles and a tackle for loss.
Linebacker David Mayo (Texas State, Washington Commanders) led all Sun Belt alumni with eight tackles and two tackles for loss on the week. Joining him with multi-tackle outings were defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Southern Miss, New York Giants) with four tackles, 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hit; cornerback Chandon Sullivan (Georgia State, Pittsburgh Steelers) with two tackles and a pass defended; and defensive back Eric Garror (Louisiana, Tennessee Titans) with two tackles.
The quartet of Sun Belt kicking alums combined to go 9-for-12 on field goal attempts and 8-for-8 on extra-point tries—including perfect days from New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe out of Arkansas State and Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass out of Georgia Southern. A 45-yarder from Grupe was the long on the week. App State product and Buffalo Bills punter Sam Martin registered 289 yards on six punts.
Eighty-seven Sun Belt alumni earned NFL roster spots entering the 2023 season, with 49 on active rosters, 14 on practice squads and 13 on injured or other reserve lists in Week 17. Forty-four earned playing time, including 18 who started for their respective clubs.
Sun Belt football alumni dot 30-of-32 NFL rosters.
App State
Akeem Davis-Gaither – LB, Cincinnati Bengals (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Darrynton Evans – RB, Miami Dolphins (DNP)
Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Tae Hayes – CB, New York Jets
^ Cooper Hodges – OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
Shemar Jean-Charles – CB, New Orleans Saints (1 G)
D’Marco Jackson – LB, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Shaun Jolly – CB, Los Angeles Rams (1 G)
Kendall Lamm – OL, Miami Dolphins (1 G)
Sam Martin – P, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 GS, 6 Punts, 289 Yards)
Ryan Neuzil – OL, Atlanta Falcons (1 G)
* Henry Pearson – FB, Green Bay Packers
^ Jalen Virgil – WR, Denver Broncos
Arkansas State
Demario Davis – LB, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Fumble Recovery, 20 Yards)
Blake Grupe – K, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 3-for-3 FG, 2-for-2 XP)
Coastal Carolina
* Lance Boykin – CB, Seattle Seahawks
* C.J. Brewer – DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Jerrod Clark – DL, Los Angeles Chargers
* Jeff Gunter – DL, Cincinnati Bengals
* Tarron Jackson – DL, Philadelphia Eagles
Isaiah Likely – TE, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Receptions, 42 Yards, 2 Touchdowns)
* Josh Norman – CB, Buffalo Bills
Georgia Southern
Darrell Baker Jr. – CB, Indianapolis Colts (1 G)
Tyler Bass – K, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 GS, 2-for-2 FG, 3-for-3 XP)
Matt Breida – RB, New York Giants (1 G)
Younghoe Koo – K, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 GS, 1-for-3 FG, 2-for-2 XP)
^ Jerick McKinnon – RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Najee Thompson – CB, Minnesota Vikings (1 G, 1 Tackle, 1 Fumble Recovery, 13 Yards)
Kindle Vildor – DB, Detroit Lions (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Forced Fumble)
Georgia State
Wil Lutz – K, Denver Broncos (1 G, 1 GS, 3-for-4 FG, 1-for-1 XP)
Chandon Sullivan – CB, Pittsburgh Steelers (1 G, 2 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended)
James Madison
* Ben DiNucci – QB, Denver Broncos
^ Mike Greene – DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dean Marlowe – S, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G)
Aaron Stinnie – OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G, 1 GS)
Louisiana
^ Percy Butler – S, Washington Commanders
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams (1 G, 1 GS)
Eric Garror – DB, Tennessee Titans (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Tackles)
Robert Hunt – OL, Miami Dolphins (DNP)
Andre Jones Jr. – DL, Washington Commanders (1 G)
Elijah Mitchell – RB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 17 Rushes, 80 Yards, 1 Touchdown)
Max Mitchell – OL, New York Jets (1 G)
^ John Stephens Jr. – WR, Dallas Cowboys
Tracy Walker III – S, Detroit Lions (1 G)
ULM
Derrick Gore – RB, Washington Commanders (1 G)
* Josh Pederson – TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Marshall
^ Josh Ball – OL, Dallas Cowboys
Steven Gilmore – CB, Detroit Lions (DNP)
Neville Hewitt – LB, Houston Texans (1 G, 1 Tackle)
^ Nazeeh Johnson – S, Kansas City Chiefs
Old Dominion
Tre Hawkins III – CB, New York Giants (1 G)
Taylor Heinicke – QB, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 GS, 10-for-29, 163 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 4 Rushes, 46 Yards, 1 Touchdown)
* Zack Kuntz – TE, New York Jets
Rick Lovato – LS, Philadelphia Eagles (1 G, 1 GS, 1 Tackle)
Zach Pascal – WR, Arizona Cardinals (1 G)
^ Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
Stone Smartt – TE, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 2 Receptions, 23 Yards)
South Alabama
Gerald Everett – TE, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards, 1 Rush, 6 Yards)
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G)
^ Jeremy Reaves – S, Washington Commanders
Jalen Tolbert – WR, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 1 Reception, 9 Yards, 1 Tackle)
Southern Miss
* Cornell Armstrong – DB, Oakland Raiders
* Natrone Brooks – CB, Atlanta Falcons
Jason Brownlee – WR, New York Jets (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards)
* TyKeem Doss – OL, Baltimore Ravens
Tim Jones – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G)
Nick Mullens – QB, Minnesota Vikings (1 G, 13-for-22, 113 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Rush, 6 Yards)
Rakeem Nunez-Roches – DL, New York Giants (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Tackles, 0.5 Sacks, 1 QB Hit)
Eric Scott Jr. – CB, Dallas Cowboys (DNP)
Quez Watkins – WR, Philadelphia Eagles (DNP)
Texas State
^ Levi Bell – DL, Seattle Seahawks
Aaron Brewer – OL, Tennessee Titans (1 G, 1 GS)
David Mayo – LB, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 GS, 8 Tackles, 2 TFL)
^ Ty Nsekhe – OL, Cleveland Browns
Troy
Jake Andrews – OL, New England Patriots (1 G)
^ Shakel Brown – DL, Tennessee Titans
* Practice Squad
^ Injured & Other Reserve