NEW ORLEANS – Three Sun Belt Conference football alumni recorded sacks as part of disruptive defensive efforts during Week 17 of the 2025 National Football League (NFL) season.
Troy alumnus and second-year New England Patriots cornerback Dell Pettus - who has appeared in each of his team’s 16 games this season - recorded a season-high six tackles and registered his second-career sack in a 42-10 road win over the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon. Pettus’ takedown of Jets quarterback Brady Cook came on a second-down play near midfield with 25 seconds remaining before halftime and resulted in a loss of 12 yards.
Arkansas State alum Demario Davis - a five-time All-Pro starting linebacker for the New Orleans Saints - tallied six tackles, one quarterback hit and a half sack as part of a 34-26 comeback win on the road over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Trailing by one point with 5:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Davis and teammate Chase Young dropped quarterback Cam Ward for a loss of eight yards on third down before the Saints overtook the Titans’ lead for good on their next possession.
Another former Troy cornerback - Reddy Steward of the Dallas Cowboys - made his presence felt in the backfield with five tackles and a half sack in the team’s 30-23 road victory over the Washington Commanders in the first game of the NFL’s Christmas Day tripleheader on Thursday. Steward made his fourth start of the season and added one pass deflection to his final line.
In the scoring column, Georgia State alum and Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz was perfect on the day and scored eight points with two field goals and a pair of extra points in a 20-13 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. Lutz’s two field goals came from distances of 30 and 27 yards, respectively.
Arkansas State product and Indianapolis Colts kicker Blake Grupe scored five points with a 33-yard field goal and two extra points in a 23-17 home setback to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. Additionally, Texas State alum and Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates scored four points with a 48-yard field goal and one extra point in a 23-10 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas evening.
Offensively, South Alabama alumnus and fourth-year Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert caught four passes for 31 yards against the Commanders, while Coastal Carolina alum and Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely added three receptions for 27 yards in a 41-24 road victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
Former Old Dominion standout and Jets tight end Stone Smartt recorded two receptions for 18 yards against the Patriots.
Sun Belt football alumni held 83 roster spots on 31-of-32 NFL rosters with 43 on active rosters, 29 on practice squads and 11 on injured or other reserve lists. In Week 17 contests, 33 saw game action with 14 earning the start for their respective teams.
All 14 Sun Belt programs have been represented on an NFL roster each week during the 2025 campaign. App State leads all Sun Belt teams with 11 former standouts on NFL rosters followed by Louisiana with 10 and South Alabama and Southern Miss with nine apiece.
App State
Akeem Davis-Gaither – LB, Arizona Cardinals (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended)
* Tyrek Funderburk – CB, Minnesota Vikings
* Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams
^ Cooper Hodges – OL, Jacksonville Jaguars
D’Marco Jackson – LB, Chicago Bears (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Shemar Jean-Charles, DB, Seattle Seahawks
Kendall Lamm – OL, Miami Dolphins (DNP)
* Ahmani Marshall – RB, Cleveland Browns
Sam Martin – P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 141 Yards)
^ Jalen McLeod – LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Ryan Neuzil – OL, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 GS)
Arkansas State
* Jacob Bayer – OL, Cincinnati Bengals
* William Bradley-King – LB, San Francisco 49ers
* Mekhi Butler – OL, New England Patriots
Demario Davis – LB, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 6 Tackles, 0.5 Sacks, 1 Quarterback Hit)
Blake Grupe – K, Indianapolis Colts (1 G, 1 GS, 1-for-1 FG, 2-for-2 XP)
* Courtney Jackson – WR, Seattle Seahawks
* Trevian Thomas – S, Jacksonville Jaguars
Coastal Carolina
^ Tarron Jackson – DL, San Francisco 49ers
Isaiah Likely – TE, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 3 Receptions, 27 Yards)
Georgia Southern
Darrell Baker Jr. – CB, Tennessee Titans (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles)
* Shemar Bartholomew – CB, Green Bay Packers
^ Tyler Bass – K, Buffalo Bills
Kindle Vildor – CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G)
Georgia State
Benjamin Chukwuma – OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G, 1 GS)
^ Travis Glover – OL, Green Bay Packers
Wil Lutz – K, Denver Broncos (1 G, 1 GS, 2-for-2 FG, 2-for-2 XP)
Jamari Thrash - WR, Cleveland Browns (DNP)
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 (1 G)
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams (DNP)
Robert Hunt – OL, Carolina Panthers (DNP)
Andre Jones Jr. – DE, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Keyon Martin – CB, Baltimore Ravens (DNP)
* Elijah Mitchell – RB, New England Patriots
Max Mitchell – OL, New York Jets (1 G)
* K.C. Ossai – LB, Miami Dolphins
Nate Thomas – OL, Dallas Cowboys (1 G)
ULM
* Car’lin Vigers – CB, Washington Commanders
Marshall
Rasheen Ali – RB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards, 1 Tackle)
^ Ethan Driskell – OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Green – LB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 Fumble Recovered)
Neville Hewitt – LB, New York Giants (1 G)
Nazeeh Johnson – S, Kansas City Chiefs (1 G)
* Elias Neal – LB, Los Angeles Rams
^ J.J. Roberts – S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dalton Tucker – OL, Indianapolis Colts (DNP
Old Dominion
* Tre Hawkins III – CB, Washington Commanders
^ Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
Stone Smartt – TE, New York Jets (1 G, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards)
^ Blake Watson – RB, Tennessee Titans
Keion White – DL, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 Tackle)
South Alabama
* Carter Bradley – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Tackles)
* Jamaal Pritchett – WR, New York Jets
Jeremy Reaves – S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 6 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended)
* Jamie Sheriff – LB, Seattle Seahawks
* Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas – DL, Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Tolbert – WR, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards)
Corliss Waitman – P, Pittsburgh Steelers (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Punts, 203 Yards)
* Jeremiah Webb – WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
^ Cornell Armstrong – CB, Miami Dolphins
* Swayze Bozeman – LB, New York Giants
Natrone Brooks – CB, Atlanta Falcons (1 G)
* Jason Brownlee – WR, Kansas City Chiefs
* Frank Gore Jr. – RB, Buffalo Bills
* Tim Jones – WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Mullens – QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (DNP)
Rakeem Nunez-Roches – DL, New York Giants (DNP)
* Quez Watkins – WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Texas State
Jake Bates – K, Detroit Lions (1 G, 1 GS, 1-for-1 FG, 1-for-1 XP)
Aaron Brewer – OL, Miami Dolphins (DNP)
^ Deion Hankins – RB, Chicago Bears
* Kyle Hergel – OL, Chicago Bears
* Nash Jones - OL, Denver Broncos
Troy
Jake Andrews – OL, Houston Texans (1 G, 1 GS)
Dell Pettus – S, New England Patriots (1 G, 6 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss, 1 Sack, 1 Quarterback Hit)
Javon Solomon – EDGE, Buffalo Bills (1 G)
Reddy Steward – CB, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles, 0.5 Sacks, 1 Pass Defended, 1 Quarterback Hit)
Kimani Vidal – RB, Los Angeles Chargers (DNP)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve