NEW ORLEANS – After leading their respective teams to conference victories, Troy’s Damien Taylor, Marshall’s Mike Green and Louisiana’s Kenneth Almendares earned the Sun Belt football weekly accolades.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
Damien Taylor, Troy
(Jr., RB – Northport, Ala.)
Trojans junior running back Damien Taylor rushed for a career-high 190 yards and a touchdown in Troy’s 38-24 homecoming win over Coastal Carolina in the rematch of the 2022 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game. The Northport, Ala., native averaged 6.8 yards per carry with five rushes of 10-or-more yards and three of 20-or-more. Taylor had 28 carries on the game, including 10 in the fourth quarter to help Troy run the clock out for the victory—the first Sun Belt Conference win for the Trojans this season.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Mike Green, Marshall
(RS So., DL – Williamsburg, Va.)
Thundering Herd redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Mike Green registered nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in Marshall’s 28-23 victory over ULM in the rematch of the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) national championship game. Green’s totals came in a game where the Warhawks dropped back to pass on just 18 occasions. The Williamsburg, Va., product ranks among the Top 5 in the country with 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks on the season.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana
(RS Sr., K – Clute, Texas)
Ragin’ Cajuns redshirt senior kicker Kenneth Almendares tied his season-high with three field goals and added a pair of extra points in Louisiana’s 23-17 win over Texas State to maintain its perch atop the Sun Belt West Division standings. The Clute, Texas, native accounted for all of Louisiana’s second-half scoring in the pivotal division win. Almendares paces the Sun Belt with 79 points on the season and sits four points behind Ragin’ Cajuns all-time scoring leader Elijah McGuire (318, 2013-16) with 314 for his career.
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.)
Week 9 – Colton Joseph, Old Dominion (RS Fr., QB – Newport Beach, Calif.)
Week 10 – Damien Taylor, Troy (Jr., RB – Northport, Ala.)
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)
Week 9 – Jacob Dobbs, James Madison (RS Sr., LB – Macomb, Mich.)
Week 10 – Mike Green, Marshall (RS So., DL – Williamsburg, Va.)
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)
Week 9 – Cam Ross, James Madison (RS Sr., RS – Newark, Del.)
Week 10 – Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana (RS Sr., K – Clute, Texas)