NEW ORLEANS – Following convincing victories to stay within a game of their respective division leaders, Marshall’s A.J. Turner, Arkansas State’s Jayden Jones and Marshall’s Rece Verhoff claimed the Sun Belt football weekly accolades.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
A.J. Turner, Marshall
(RS So., RB – Hampton, Va.)
Thundering Herd redshirt sophomore running back A.J. Turner tallied 207 all-purpose yards and accounted for all four touchdowns in Marshall’s 35-20 win over Georgia State. The Hampton, Va., native rushed for a Sun Belt season-high 177 yards and three touchdowns—both personal career-highs. Turner capped the win with an 88-yard touchdown run—the sixth-longest in Thundering Herd program history—with 1:39 to play to set the Sun Belt season-high with 24 points scored. He currently paces the Sun Belt with 717 rushing yards on the season.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Jayden Jones, Arkansas State
(RS Jr., DL – Dallas, Texas)
Red Wolves redshirt junior defensive lineman Jayden Jones registered a career-high eight tackles and a career-high three tackles for loss—including two sacks—in Arkansas State’s 44-28 win over Southern Miss. The Dallas, Texas, product forced two turnovers in the second half, snagging his first career interception early in the third quarter and ending the game with his first career forced fumble. Jones accounted for three of Arkansas State’s season-high 11 tackles for loss and two of the Red Wolves’ five sacks, the most for the unit since 2021.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Rece Verhoff, Marshall
(Jr., K – Columbus Grove, Ohio)
Thundering Herd junior kicker Rece Verhoff booted a pair of field goals and converted on all three extra-point attempts in Marshall’s 35-20 victory over Georgia State. The Columbus Grove, Ohio, native converted from 47 yards out in the first quarter, helping Marshall build an 18-0 lead it would never relinquish. Verhoff also kicked a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter, after Georgia State had cut the Thundering Herd lead to five. He has connected on his last eight field goal attempts—including four-straight from 40-or-more yards and a career-long 51-yarder.
2024 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina (RS So., QB – Chesapeake, Va.)
Week 2 – Jordan McCloud, Texas State (RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
Week 3 – Joey Aguilar, App State (Sr., QB – Antioch, Calif.)
Week 4 – Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS So., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
Week 5 – Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS So., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
Week 6 – Braylon Braxton, Marshall (RS Jr., QB – Frisco, Texas)
Week 7 – Jordan McCloud, Texas State (RS Sr., QB – Tampa, Fla.)
Week 8 – A.J. Turner, Marshall (RS So., RB – Hampton, Va.)
2024 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Wydett Williams Jr., ULM (Jr., DB – Lake Providence, La.)
Week 2 – Jahron Manning, Old Dominion (Jr., DB – New Orleans, La.)
Week 3 – Kevin Swint, Georgia State (Sr., LB – Carrollton, Ga.)
Week 4 – Jordan Scruggs, South Alabama (RS Jr., DB – Kansas City, Mo.)
Week 5 – J.J. Roberts, Marshall (RS Sr., DB – Ona, W.Va.)
Week 6 – Cameron Whitfield, Louisiana (RS Jr., LB – Houston, Texas)
Week 7 – Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., LB – Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Week 8 – Jayden Jones, Arkansas State (RS Jr., DL – Dallas, Texas)
2024 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (So., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Week 2 – Courtney Jackson, Arkansas State (RS Sr., RS – Monroeville, Pa.)
Week 3 – Devonte Ross, Troy (Jr., RS – Cartersville, Ga.)
Week 4 – Terrence Spence, James Madison (Sr., DB – Ringwood, N.J.)
Week 5 – Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana (RS Sr., K – Clute, Texas)
Week 6 – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (So., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Week 7 – Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana (RS Sr., K – Clute, Texas)
Week 8 – Rece Verhoff, Marshall (Jr., K – Columbus Grove, Ohio)