NEW ORLEANS – After leading their teams to season-opening victories, Coastal Carolina’s Ethan Vasko, ULM’s Wydett Williams Jr. and Arkansas State’s Clune Van Andel earned the first weekly awards of the 2024 Sun Belt football season.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina
(RS So., QB – Chesapeake, Va.)
Chanticleers redshirt sophomore quarterback Ethan Vasko—who started four of the final five games of the 2023 campaign—accounted for three touchdowns to lead Coastal Carolina to a 55-27 road victory over Jacksonville State in its 2024 season-opener. The Chesapeake, Va., native completed 12-of-19 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns through the air and rushed for 39 yards and a score. Vasko propelled the Chanticleers to a program record 55 points in a season opener, connecting with seven different receivers in the process.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Wydett Williams Jr., ULM
(Jr., DB – Lake Providence, La.)
Warhawks junior defensive back Wydett Williams Jr. tallied a game-high 10 tackles to lift ULM to a 30-14 victory over Jackson State to commence the Bryant Vincent era with a win. The Lake Providence, La., product also added 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, as part of a ULM defense that conceded just 59 rushing yards. Williams Jr. provided the game’s lone turnover in his debut in a Warhawk uniform via interception—leading directly to the go-ahead touchdown that gave ULM a 14-7 halftime advantage it would not relinquish.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State
(So., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
After being used as a kickoff specialist as a freshman in 2023, Red Wolves sophomore kicker Clune Van Andel converted on the first six kicking attempts of his collegiate career to register 10 points in Arkansas State’s 34-31 season-opening win over in-state foe Central Arkansas. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native converted on a pair of first-quarter field goal attempts from 44 and 23 yards out and was a perfect 4-of-4 on extra-point tries on the day. His 10 points scored trailed only the 12-point total from redshirt senior running back Zak Wallace for the Red Wolves.
2024 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina (RS So., QB – Chesapeake, Va.)
2024 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Wydett Williams Jr., ULM (Jr., DB – Lake Providence, La.)
2024 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (So., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)