NEW ORLEANS – Georgia Southern’s OJ Arnold, Old Dominion’s Kris Trinidad and Georgia State’s Braeden McAlister reap Sun Belt football weekly honors after record-setting efforts.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
OJ Arnold, Georgia Southern
(Sr., RB – Quitman, Ga.)
Eagles senior running back OJ Arnold became the first Eagle to record a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in a game, as Georgia Southern bested Coastal Carolina, 45-40. The Quitman, Ga., product rushed for 267 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 53 yards for a touchdown and threw a 73-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver Camden Brown. Arnold’s 393 yards of total offense were the most for an Eagle running back since 2021. His 267 rushing yards were the fifth-most in a single game in Georgia Southern program history.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Kris Trinidad, Old Dominion
(RS Sr., DL – Richmond, Va.)
Monarchs redshirt senior defensive lineman Kris Trinidad led a defense that conceded just 138 yards—the fewest allowed in program history—en route to its second-ever shutout, 33-0 over Troy. The Richmond, Va., native registered a pair of sacks, as the Monarchs accumulated a single-game program record nine sacks in the victory. Trinidad also carded five tackles and two forced fumbles, with the first coming on Troy’s first offensive play of the game and leading to Old Dominion’s first scoring drive. The victory clinched the Monarchs first winning season since 2016.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Braeden McAlister, Georgia State
(RS Jr., K – Indian Trail, N.C.)
Panthers redshirt junior kicker Braeden McAlister set the Georgia State program record and tied the Sun Belt record with a 60-yard field goal as time expired heading into halftime of a 30-17 loss to Marshall. The Indian Trail, N.C., native’s field goal was the longest in the Sun Belt this season and the second-longest in the FBS in 2025. McAlister also averaged 64.3 yards on three kickoffs, with two touchbacks.
2025 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – AJ Swann, App State (RS Jr., QB – White, Ga.)
Week 2 – Trequan Jones, Old Dominion (Jr., RB – Bartow, Fla.)
Week 3 – Colton Joseph, Old Dominion (RS So., QB – Newport Beach, Calif.)
Week 4 – Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Marshall (RS Jr., QB – Atlanta, Ga.)
Week 5 – Lunch Winfield, Louisiana (RS So., QB – Lutcher, La.)
Week 6 – Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (Jr., QB – Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Week 7 – Tucker Kilcrease, Troy (Jr., QB – Brantley, Ala.)
Week 8 – Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
Week 9 – Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss (RS Sr., QB – Frisco, Texas)
Week 10 – Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
Week 11 – JC French IV, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., QB – Roswell, Ga.)
Week 12 – OJ Arnold, Georgia Southern (Sr., RB – Quitman, Ga.)
2025 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – D’Arco Perkins-McCallister, ULM (RS Sr., DB – Nashville, Tenn.)
Week 2 – Luke Hodge, Troy (So., LB – Oneonta, Ala.)
Week 3 – Ian Foster, Southern Miss (RS So., DB – Brundidge, Ala.)
Week 4 – Noah Arinze, Coastal Carolina (Sr., DL – St. Louis, Mo.)
Week 5 – Trent Hendrick, James Madison (Sr., LB – Richmond, Va.)
Week 6 – Devin Lafayette, Troy (Sr., DB – Brunswick, Ga.)
Week 7 – Boogie Trotter, Marshall (Sr., DB – Nashville, Tenn.)
Week 8 – Treylin Payne, Texas State (Sr., LB – San Antonio, Texas)
Week 9 – Tirrell Johnson, South Alabama (RS Jr., LB – Wynne, Ark.)
Week 10 – Demarcus Hendricks, Arkansas State (RS Sr., DL – San Antonio, Texas)
Week 11 – Josh Moten, Southern Miss (RS Sr., DB – Waldorf, Md.)
Week 12 – Kris Trinidad, Old Dominion (RS Sr., DL – Richmond, Va.)
2025 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Tony Sterner, Louisiana (RS Jr., K – Kingwood, Texas)
Week 2 – Tre’ Brown III, Old Dominion (RS So., WR – Savannah, Ga.)
Week 3 – Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern (Sr., WR – Washington, Ga.)
Week 4 – Evan Crenshaw, Troy (Jr., P – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
Week 5 – Curtis Harris-Lopez, James Madison (RS Sr., RS – Nashua, N.H.)
Week 6 – Dominic De Freitas, App State (Fr., K – Nappanee, Ind.)
Week 7 – Paddy McAteer, Troy (Jr., K - Mullaghbawn, Ireland)
Week 8 – Lorcan Quinn, Marshall (Fr., K – Donaghmore, Ireland)
Week 9 – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (Jr., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Week 10 – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (Jr., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Week 11 – Tripp Bryant, Georgia Southern (Fr., K – Lexington, S.C.)
Week 12 – Braeden McAlister, Georgia State (RS Jr., K – Indian Trail, N.C.)