NEW ORLEANS – South Alabama alumnus and San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. earned his first National Football League (NFL) start among numerous noteworthy defensive performances by Sun Belt Conference alumni during the fourth week of the season.
Seventy-nine Sun Belt football alumni held roster spots on 31-of-32 NFL rosters with 44 on active rosters, 23 on practice squads and 12 on injured or other reserve lists. In Week 4 contests, 38 saw game action with 17 earning the start for their respective teams.
A fifth-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2023, Luter’s first start came in his 14th NFL appearance, as he produced a career-high five tackles against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Included in Luter’s five takedowns was his first tackle for a loss in his three-year career.
App State alum and Arizona Cardinals starting linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither continued his strong start to the 2025 season with his first double-digit tackling performance of the season with 10, including one tackle for loss, against the Seattle Seahawks. Arkansas State alum and five-time All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints registered seven tackles and one tackle for loss against the Buffalo Bills.
In his eighth NFL season as a safety for the Washington Commanders, South Alabama alum and 2022 All-Pro selection Jeremy Reaves earned his first start of the season and the 12th in his career and tallied a season-high eight tackles against the Atlanta Falcons.
Also making their presence felt in the backfield during Sunday’s games were a pair of former Troy teammates who won back-to-back Sun Belt titles together in 2022 and 2023. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Reddy Steward matched his career-high in tackles established just one week prior with six and added one tackle for loss against the Green Bay Packers, as New England Patriots safety Dell Pettus recorded four tackles and a forced fumble against the Carolina Panthers.
Additionally, the 2024 Sun Belt Player of the Year and Baltimore Ravens rookie edge rusher Mike Green – a Marshall product – compiled a season-high five tackles and one tackle for loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. Ravens teammate and Louisiana alum Keyon Martin chipped in five tackles in the contest.
Offensively, South Alabama alumnus and Cowboys starting wide receiver Jalen Tolbert had his most productive game of the season thus far, hauling in four catches for 61 yards against the Packers. Tolbert’s 19-yard reception on third down with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter set up a go-ahead touchdown pass one play later, before his 34-yard catch and toe drag while falling out of bounds at the 5-yard line in overtime set up a field goal.
In the kicking game, Texas State alum and Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates scored 10 points against the Cleveland Browns, converting each of his two field goal attempts from 48 and 58 yards, respectively, and four extra points. Arkansas State product and Saints kicker Blake Grupe scored seven points, going 2-for-2 on field goals from 35 and 54 yards with one extra point.
Georgia State product and Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz converted all four of his extra point tries against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
App State
Akeem Davis-Gaither – LB, Arizona Cardinals (1 G, 1 GS, 10 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
* Tyrek Funderburk – CB, Minnesota Vikings
Nick Hampton – LB, Los Angeles Rams (1 G)
^ 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 (1 G)
* Ahmani Marshall – RB, Cleveland Browns
Sam Martin – P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Punts, 231 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, 7 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
Blake Grupe – K, New Orleans Saints (1 G, 1 GS, 2-for-2 FG, 1-for-1 XP)
* 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, 1 GS)
Georgia Southern
Darrell Baker Jr. – CB, Tennessee Titans (1 G)
*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, 4-for-4 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 (DNP)
* Dalen Cambre – WR, New York Giants
Kevin Dotson – OL, Los Angeles Rams (1 G, 1 GS)
^ Robert Hunt – OL, Carolina Panthers
* Andre Jones Jr. – DE, Buffalo Bills
Keyon Martin – CB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 5 Tackles)
Elijah Mitchell – RB, Kansas City Chiefs (DNP)
Max Mitchell – OL, New York Jets (1 G, 1 GS)
^ 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, 2 Kickoff Returns, 31 Yards)
^ Ethan Driskell – OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Green – LB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 5 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
Neville Hewitt – LB, New York Giants (1 G, 1 Tackle)
^ 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, 1 GS)
Old Dominion
* LaMareon James – CB, New York Giants
Rick Lovato – LS, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G)
^ Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
Stone Smartt – TE, New York Jets (1 G)
Keion White – DL New England Patriots (1 G, 1 Tackle)
South Alabama
Darrell Luter Jr. – CB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
* Jamaal Pritchett – WR, New York Jets
Jeremy Reaves – S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 GS, 8 Tackles)
* Jamie Sheriff – LB, Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Tolbert – WR, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Receptions, 61 Yards)
Corliss Waitman – P, Pittsburgh Steelers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 146 Yards)
* Jeremiah Webb – WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
Cornell Armstrong – CB, Miami Dolphins (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Swayze Bozeman – LB, New York Giants (1 G)
Natrone Brooks – CB, Atlanta Falcons (1 G)
Jason Brownlee – WR, Kansas City Chiefs (DNP)
* Frank Gore Jr. – RB, Buffalo Bills
* Tim Jones – WR, Minnesota Vikings
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, 2-for-2 FG, 4-for-4 XP)
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, 4 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble)
Javon Solomon – EDGE, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 2 Tackles)
Reddy Steward – CB, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 6 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
Kimani Vidal – RB, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 1 Kickoff Return, 25 Yards)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve