NEW ORLEANS – Sun Belt football programs were well-represented on All-America teams following the 2025 season in which the conference led non-autonomy conferences in Bowl Season representation for the fourth-straight year and James Madison earned the conference’s first-ever berth into the College Football Playoff.
Twenty-three student-athletes combined to earn 42 All-America honors.
The Sun Belt boasted multiple 10-win teams—James Madison (12-2) and Old Dominion (10-3)—for the eighth-straight season.
Nine-of-14 Sun Belt programs produced at least one All-America honoree, with Sun Belt champion James Madison leading all programs with five different student-athletes honored. Texas State and Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship presented by Visit Pensacola participant Troy followed with four representatives apiece.
Student-athletes from championship game participants James Madison (12) and Troy (10) accrued double-digit national nods. Players from Marshall (4), Southern Miss (4), Texas State (4), Louisiana (3), Arkansas State (2), Georgia Southern (2) and Old Dominion (1) earned at least one national recognition.
Paramount among this year’s honorees were James Madison redshirt junior all-purpose back Wayne Knight and Troy redshirt junior punter Evan Crenshaw, who each received six All-America nods. Knight earned Second Team status from the Associated Press (AP), On3, Sports Illustrated and USA Today; Third Team recognition from Phil Steele; and G5 First Team mention from Hero Sports. Crenshaw reaped First Team recognition from Athlon Sports, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Phil Steele and Sporting News; Third Team mention from Pro Football & Sports Network (PFSN); and G5 First Team status from Hero Sports.
Texas State redshirt junior kick returner Jaylen Jenkins was a Sporting News Second Team All-American, joining Knight and Crenshaw as 1-of-3 Sun Belt student-athletes to earn All-America status from at least one of the five organizations (AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation) utilized by the NCAA to determine consensus and unanimous All-Americans.
SUN BELT FOOTBALL ALL-AMERICANS
Chauncy Cobb, Arkansas State
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, RS
PFSN – First Team, KR
Camden Brown, Georgia Southern
Hero Sports – G5 Second Team, WR
Phil Steele – Honorable Mention, WR
Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
Hero Sports – G5 Third Team, QB
Trent Hendrick, James Madison
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, LB
Phil Steele – Fourth Team, LBcam
Wayne Knight, James Madison
AP – Second Team, AP
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, AP
On3 – Second Team, AP
Phil Steele – Third Team, AP
Sports Illustrated – Second Team, AP
USA Today – Second Team, AP
Pat McMurtrie, James Madison
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, OL
Phil Steele – Honorable Mention, T
Sahir West, James Madison
The Athletic – Freshman First Team, Edge
Jaden Dugger, Louisiana
Hero Sports – G5 Third Team, LB
Phil Steele – Honorable Mention, LB
Jax Harrington, Louisiana
Hero Sports – G5 Third Team, OL
Lorcan Quinn, Marshall
247 Sports – True Freshman First Team, K
The Athletic – Freshman Second Team, K
Boogie Trotter, Marshall
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, DB
Phil Steele – Honorable Mention, DB
Colton Joseph, Old Dominion
Hero Sports – G5 Third Team, QB
Chris Jones, Southern Miss
Hero Sports – G5 Third Team, LB
Josh Moten, Southern Miss
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, DB
Phil Steele – Honorable Mention, DB
J’Mond Tapp, Southern Miss
Hero Sports – G5 Second Team, DL
Jaylen Jenkins, Texas State
Sporting News – Second Team, KR
Brock Riker, Texas State
The Athletic – Freshman Second Team, C
Beau Sparks, Texas State
Hero Sports – G5 Second Team, WR
Dorian Strawn, Texas State
Hero Sports – G5 Second Team, OL
Paul Bowling, Troy
PFF – Freshman First Team, C
Evan Crenshaw, Troy
Athlon Sports – First Team, P
FWAA – First Team, P
Hero Sports – G5 First Team, P
PFSN – Third Team, P
Phil Steele – First Team, P
Sporting News – First Team, P
Devin Lafayette, Troy
Hero Sports – G5 Second Tema, DB
Donnie Smith, Troy
Hero Sports – G5 Third Team, DL
Phil Steele – Honorable Mention, DL