NEW ORLEANS – Standout performances in conference openers propel Louisiana’s Lunch Winfield, James Madison’s Trent Hendrick and James Madison’s Curtis Harris-Lopez to Sun Belt football weekly accolades.
Football Offensive Player of the Week
Lunch Winfield, Louisiana
(RS So., QB – Lutcher, La.)
Ragin’ Cajuns redshirt sophomore quarterback Lunch Winfield accounted for five touchdowns in Louisiana’s 54-51 double-overtime win over Marshall. The Lutcher, La., native completed 7-of-13 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. Winfield helped Louisiana erase a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, forcing overtime with a 24-yard touchdown strike to redshirt senior wide receiver Dale Martin with 16 seconds to spare. Four of his five scores came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Football Defensive Player of the Week
Trent Hendrick, James Madison
(Sr., LB – Richmond, Va.)
Dukes senior linebacker Trent Hendrick helped lead James Madison to a 35-10 victory over Georgia Southern. The Richmond, Va., native tallied a career-high 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks to pace a James Madison defensive unit that registered a season-high 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The Dukes limited the Eagles to 192 yards of total offense and just 27 rushing yards on 26 carries. Hendrick’s three sacks were the most by a Duke since Jalen Green posted a program-record five at Marshall on Oct. 19, 2023.
Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Curtis Harris-Lopez, James Madison
(RS Sr., RS – Nashua, N.H.)
Dukes redshirt senior return specialist Curtis Harris-Lopez returned his first kickoff at James Madison for a touchdown in a 35-10 win over Georgia Southern. The Nashua, N.H., product’s 88-yard kickoff return touchdown extended the Dukes margin to 21-3 in the second quarter. Harris-Lopez’s return was James Madison’s first kickoff return touchdown since Oct. 26, 2024 and is the program’s 20th all-time kick return score.
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.)
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.)
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.)