NEW ORLEANS – Numerous Sun Belt Conference football alumni on the defensive side of the ball made significant contributions to their teams during Week 2 of the 2026 National Football League (NFL) season.
Seventy-seven Sun Belt football alumni held roster spots on 28-of-32 NFL rosters with 50 on active rosters, 18 on practice squads and nine on injured or other reserve lists. In Week 2 contests, 42 saw game action with 16 earning the start for their respective teams.
In his seventh NFL season, App State alumnus and Indianapolis Colts starting linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither led all players with a career-high 14 tackles, including one tackle-for-loss, in a 33-30 road setback to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. It was his 10th-career game with double-digit takedowns, besting his previous career-high of 13 tackles he last achieved on Dec. 1, 2024 as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Multiple former Sun Belt pass rushers made their presences felt in the backfield during Sunday afternoon’s action, as Marshall product and Baltimore Ravens second-year edge rusher Mike Green joined former Old Dominion standout and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Keion White by recording quarterback sacks. Green made two tackles-for-loss in the Ravens’ 24-17 home loss to the New Orleans Saints, while White tallied two tackles in the 49ers’ 35-14 home victory over the Miami Dolphins.
A pair of Louisiana Tech alumni cornerbacks were active around the football, as Chiefs starter L’Jarius Sneed made seven tackles and defended one pass in his team’s winning effort. Meanwhile, Washington Commanders starter Amik Robertson tallied five tackles and defended two passes, as teammate, South Alabama alum and starting safety Jeremy Reaves racked up seven tackles in a 37-20 road defeat to the Dallas Cowboys.
On offense, Coastal Carolina alum and New York Giants starting tight end Isaiah Likely caught five passes for 33 yards in a 28-6 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. Georgia State product and Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting, rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst made two catches for 27 yards, as teammate and former Troy wideout Tez Johnson added one reception for 49 yards while returning two punts for 14 yards in a 23-19 home setback to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
On special teams, Georgia State alumnus and Denver Broncos kicker Will Lutz scored eight points going 2-for-2 on field goals while converting both extra-point attempts in a 20-13 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lutz’s field goals were made from distances of 45 and 20 yards, respectively.
Former Arkansas State kicker and Giants rookie Dominic Zvada scored six points going 2-for-2 on field goals with conversions from 52 and 24 yards out. Additionally, Georgia Southern alum and Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass chipped on five points going 5-for-6 on extra points in a 41-31 home win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
A pair of former Sun Belt punters also saw action Sunday, as App State alum Sam Martin of the Carolina Panthers registered four punts for 193 yards in a 34-3 road win over the Atlanta Falcons. South Alabama product Corliss Waitman had two punts for 93 yards for the 49ers.
App State
* Joey Aguilar - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
* Anderson Castle - RB, Indianapolis Colts
Akeem Davis-Gaither - LB, Indianapolis Colts (1 G, 1 GS, 14 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
D’Marco Jackson - LB, Chicago Bears (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Tackles)
* Ahmani Marshall - RB, Carolina Panthers
Sam Martin - P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Punts, 193 Yards)
^DeShawn McKnight - DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalen McLeod – LB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G)
Ryan Neuzil – OL, Atlanta Falcons (1 G, 1 GS)
Arkansas State
Jacob Bayer – C, Cincinnati Bengals (1 G)
^Keyron Crawford - DE, Las Vegas Raiders
Demario Davis – LB, New York Jets (1 G, 1 GS, 4 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss)
Blake Grupe – K, New York Jets (DNP)
^Corey Rucker - WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Seydou Traore - TE, Miami Dolphins (1 G)
Dominic Zvada - K, New York Giants (1 G, 1 GS, 2-for-2 FG)
Coastal Carolina
Isaiah Likely – TE, New York Giants (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Receptions, 33 Yards)
Georgia Southern
^Darrell Baker Jr. - CB, Miami Dolphins
Tyler Bass - K, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 GS, 5-for-6 XP)
Camden Brown - WR, Dallas Cowboys (DNP)
* Kindle Vildor - CB, New England Patriots
Georgia State
Benjamin Chukwuma - OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G)
Travis Glover - OL, Green Bay Packers (DNP)
Ted Hurst - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Receptions, 27 Yards)
Wil Lutz - K, Denver Broncos (1 G, 1 GS, 2-for-2 FG, 2-for-2 XP)
^Jamari Thrash - WR, Cleveland Browns
James Madison
* Xavier Holmes - LB, New England Patriots
Jamree Kromah - DL, Chicago Bears (DNP)
Aaron Stinnie - OL, New York Giants (1 G)
Jacob Thomas - S, Minnesota Vikings (1 G, 1 Tackle, 1 Quarterback Hit)
Louisiana
Percy Butler - S, Washington Commanders (1 G)
* Dalen Cambre - WR, New York Giants
Kevin Dotson - OL, Los Angeles Rams (1 G, 1 GS)
Jaden Dugger - LB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 2 Tackles)
Robert Hunt - OL, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS)
* Andre Jones Jr. - LB, Buffalo Bills
Keyon Martin - CB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G)
Max Mitchell - OL, New York Jets (1 G)
^K.C. Ossai - LB, Houston Texans
Nate Thomas - OL, Houston Texans (DNP)
ULM
* D’Arco Perkins-McAllister, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
* Car’lin Vigers - CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Louisiana Tech
^Jimmy Holiday - WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Amik Robertson – CB, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles, 2 Passes Defended)
L’Jarius Sneed – CB, Kansas City Chiefs (1 G, 7 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended)
Milton Williams – DL, New England Patriots (1 G, 1 GS, 1 Tackle)
Xavier Woods – S, Chicago Bears (1 G, 2 Tackles)
Marshall
Rasheen Ali - RB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Ethan Driskell - OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Green - EDGE, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 2 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, 1 Sack, 2 Quarterback Hits)
Elias Neal - LB, Los Angeles Rams (1 G)
* JJ Roberts - S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dalton Tucker - OL, Indianapolis Colts (DNP)
Old Dominion
^ Nick Saldiveri – OL, New Orleans Saints
* Stone Smartt - TE, New Orleans Saints
Keion White – DL, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 2 Tackles, 1 Tackle For Loss, 1 Sack)
South Alabama
* Kentrel Bullock - RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Darrell Luter Jr. - DB, Las Vegas Raiders (1 G)
* Jamaal Pritchett - WR, New York Jets
Jeremy Reaves - S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 GS, 7 Tackles)
* Jamie Sheriff - LB, Los Angeles Rams
Jalen Tolbert - WR, Miami Dolphins (DNP)
Corliss Waitman - P, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Punts, 93 Yards)
^Jeremiah Webb - WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
* Natrone Brooks – CB, Detroit Lions
Swayze Bozeman - LB, Cincinnati Bengals (1 G)
Frank Gore Jr. - RB, Buffalo Bills (1 G)
* Tim Jones - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Nick Mullens - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (DNP)
Rakeem Nuñez-Roches - DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Troy
Jake Andrews - C, Houston Texans (1 G)
Tez Johnson - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G, 1 Reception, 49 Yards, 2 Punt Returns, 14 Yards)
Dell Pettus - S, New England Patriots (1 G)
Caleb Ransaw - S, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G)
Javon Solomon - LB, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 Tackle)
* Reddy Steward - CB, Dallas Cowboys
Kimani Vidal - RB, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 1 Kickoff Return, 26 Yards)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve