NEW ORLEANS – App State’s AJ Swann, ULM’s D’Arco Perkins-McCallister and Louisiana’s Tony Sterner secured the first weekly awards of the 2025 Sun Belt football season following standout individual performances.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
AJ Swann, App State
(RS Jr., QB – White, Ga.)
Mountaineers redshirt junior quarterback AJ Swann set a record for most passing yards in an App State debut with 368, as the Mountaineers earned a 34-11 win over in-state foe Charlotte. The White, Ga., native completed 31-of-46 passes for three touchdowns—with no interceptions—and added 25 rushing yards in the ground game. Swann led the Mountaineer offense on five-straight scoring drives, scoring 27 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. His 368 passing yards, 31 completions and 46 attempts were all career highs, while App State’s 586 yards of total offense were its most since 2022.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
D’Arco Perkins-McCallister, ULM
(RS Sr., DB – Nashville, Tenn.)
Warhawks redshirt senior defensive back D’Arco Perkins-McCallister helped lead ULM to the program’s first shutout in a decade, 29-0 over Saint Francis. The Nashville, Tenn., native paced the defensive unit with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. The Warhawks defense held the Red Flash to just 131 yards of total offense, including just one trip into ULM territory in the season-opening shutout. ULM’s last shutout was a 47-0 win over in-state foe Nicholls on Sept. 12, 2015.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Tony Sterner, Louisiana
(RS Jr., K – Kingwood, Texas)
Taking over the Ragin’ Cajuns kicking duties following the graduation of 2024 Lou Groza Award winner Kenneth Almendares, redshirt junior kicker Tony Sterner carded a perfect day in a 14-12 loss to Rice. The Kingwood, Texas, product converted on a career-long 47-yard attempt in the first quarter, before bettering that mark with a 51-yard boot in the second quarter. Sterner’s 51 and 47-yard field goals were the two longest converted by a Sun Belt kicker in Week 1, as the Ragin’ Cajuns unveiled renovated Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
2025 Sun Belt Football Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – AJ Swann, App State (RS Jr., QB – White, Ga.)
2025 Sun Belt Football Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – D’Arco Perkins-McCallister, ULM (RS Sr., DB – Nashville, Tenn.)
2025 Sun Belt Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Week 1 – Tony Sterner, Louisiana (RS Jr., K – Kingwood, Texas)