NEW ORLEANS – Troy alum and Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal eclipsed 100 yards to complement his first rushing touchdown, and South Alabama product and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert found the end zone for the first time this season, to headline Sun Belt Conference alumni performances during Week 8 of the 2025 National Football League (NFL) season.
Vidal rushed 23 times for 117 yards and a touchdown while adding one reception for 10 yards in a 37-10 home win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Making his third-consecutive start, Vidal surpassed 100 yards for the second time in three games after totaling 124 yards against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 12. The touchdown marked his first on the ground in his NFL career and third trip to the end zone in his second year as a pro.
Tolbert hauled in two receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ 44-24 road loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. After catching a 12-yard pass on the second play of the drive, Tolbert caught a 35-yard pass down the right side from quarterback Joe Milton just four plays later for the game’s final score with 4:50 remaining. The touchdown was the 10th of Tolbert’s NFL career.
Two Sun Belt alumni kickers contributed to the scoring column on Sunday, as Georgia State product and Broncos kicker Wil Lutz accounted for eight points with a 42-yard field goal and a 5-for-5 conversion rate on extra points. Arkansas State alum and New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe chipped in three points on a 48-yard field goal in the New Orleans Saints’ 23-3 home setback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Defensively, Arkansas State alumnus and five-time All-Pro linebacker for the Saints Demario Davis recorded 11 tackles and one forced fumble against the Buccaneers. He now has double-digit tackles in back-to-back weeks, three of the last four games and five times in eight contests this season.
Up front, Marshall product and Baltimore Ravens rookie edge rusher Mike Green recorded his first NFL sack in the team’s 30-16 home win over the Chicago Bears. The sack came on a third-down play at the five-yard line on the game’s opening drive and resulted in a nine-yard loss, forcing the Bears to kick a field goal.
Additionally, Southern Miss alum and New York Giants defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches made his second start of the season and posted three tackles, including his first sack of the year, in a 38-20 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The sack was the seventh of his NFL career and resulted in a five-yard loss before the Eagles settled for a field goal three plays later to end their first possession of the second half.
South Alabama alum and Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves recorded seven tackles, including two tackles for loss, in a 28-7 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Additionally, Georgia Southern alum and Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. earned his first start of the season and made five tackles in a 38-14 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Sun Belt football alumni held 79 roster spots on 31-of-32 NFL rosters with 42 on active rosters, 23 on practice squads and 14 on injured or other reserve lists. In Week 8 contests, 32 saw game action with 11 earning the start for their respective teams. Five Sun Belt alums on active rosters were on a bye week.
App State
Akeem Davis-Gaither – LB, Arizona Cardinals (Bye Week)
* Tyrek Funderburk – CB, Minnesota Vikings
Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams (Bye Week)
^ Cooper Hodges – OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
D’Marco Jackson – LB, Chicago Bears (1 G, 2 Tackles, 1 Fumble Recovery)
* Shemar Jean-Charles, DB, Seattle Seahawks
Kendall Lamm – OL, Miami Dolphins (1 G)
* Ahmani Marshall – RB, Cleveland Browns
Sam Martin – P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Punts, 211 Yards)
^ Jalen McLeod – LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Ryan Neuzil – OL, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 GS)
Arkansas State
* William Bradley-King – LB, San Francisco 49ers
Demario Davis – LB, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 11 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble)
Blake Grupe – K, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 1-for-1 FG)
* Courtney Jackson – WR, Seattle Seahawks
* Trevian Thomas – S, Carolina Panthers
Coastal Carolina
C.J. Brewer – DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (DNP)
^ Tarron Jackson – DL, San Francisco 49ers
Isaiah Likely – TE, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards)
Georgia Southern
Darrell Baker Jr. – CB, Tennessee Titans (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles)
*Shemar Bartholomew – CB, Carolina Panthers
^ Tyler Bass – K, Buffalo Bills
* Younghoe Koo – K, New York Giants
Kindle Vildor – CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (DNP)
Georgia State
Benjamin Chukwuma – OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G)
^ Travis Glover – OL, Green Bay Packers
Wil Lutz – K, Denver Broncos (1 G, 1 GS, 1-for-1 FG, 5-for-5 XP)
James Madison
* Liam Fornadel, OL, New York Jets
* Jamree Kromah, DE, Chicago Bears
Aaron Stinnie – OL, New York Giants (1 G)
Louisiana
Percy Butler – S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Dalen Cambre – WR, New York Giants
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams (Bye Week)
^ Robert Hunt – OL, Carolina Panthers
* Andre Jones Jr. – DE, Buffalo Bills
Keyon Martin – CB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G)
Elijah Mitchell – RB, Kansas City Chiefs (DNP)
Max Mitchell – OL, New York Jets (1 G)
^ John Stephens – TE, Dallas Cowboys
Nate Thomas – OL, Dallas Cowboys (1 G)
ULM
* Myles Cole – DE, Cincinnati Bengals
* Car’lin Vigers – CB, Washington Commanders
Marshall
Rasheen Ali – RB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 3 Kickoff Returns, 88 Yards)
^ Ethan Driskell – OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Green – LB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 Tackle, 1 Sack)
Neville Hewitt – LB, New York Giants (1 G, 2 Tackles)
^ Nazeeh Johnson – S, Kansas City Chiefs
* Elias Neal – LB, Los Angeles Rams
^ J.J. Roberts – S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dalton Tucker – OL, Indianapolis Colts (1 G)
Old Dominion
Rick Lovato – LS, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G)
^ Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
Stone Smartt – TE, New York Jets (DNP)
^ Blake Watson – RB, Tennessee Titans
Keion White – DL New England Patriots (DNP)
South Alabama
* Carter Bradley – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G)
* Jamaal Pritchett – WR, New York Jets
Jeremy Reaves – S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 7 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss)
* Jamie Sheriff – LB, Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Tolbert – WR, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 2 Receptions, 47 Yards, 1 Touchdown)
Corliss Waitman – P, Pittsburgh Steelers (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Punts, 194 Yards)
* Jeremiah Webb – WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
^ Cornell Armstrong – CB, Miami Dolphins
Natrone Brooks – CB, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 2 Tackles, 2 Kickoff Returns, 31 Yards)
* Jason Brownlee – WR, Kansas City Chiefs
* Frank Gore Jr. – RB, Buffalo Bills
* Tim Jones – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Mullens – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (Bye Week)
Rakeem Nunez-Roches – DL, New York Giants (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Tackles, 1 Sack)
* Quez Watkins – WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Texas State
Jake Bates – K, Detroit Lions (Bye Week)
Aaron Brewer – OL, Miami Dolphins (1 G, 1 GS)
^ Deion Hankins – RB, Chicago Bears
Troy
Jake Andrews – OL, Houston Texans (1 G, 1 GS)
Dell Pettus – S, New England Patriots (1 G)
Javon Solomon – EDGE, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 2 Tackles)
Reddy Steward – CB, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 5 Tackles)
Kimani Vidal – RB, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 1 GS, 23 Rushes, 117 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Reception, 10 Yards)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve