NEW ORLEANS – Former Georgia State wide receiver and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Ted Hurst burst into the spotlight with his first touchdown to lead Sun Belt alumni performances during Week 3 of the 2026 National Football League (NFL) season.
Seventy-seven Sun Belt football alumni held roster spots on 29-of-32 NFL rosters with 51 on active rosters, 16 on practice squads and 10 on injured or other reserve lists. In Week 3 contests, 42 saw game action with 18 earning the start for their respective teams.
A third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Hurst’s lone reception in the game was
a 40-yard pass down the middle of the field from quarterback Baker Mayfield for the Bucs’ only touchdown in a 23-16 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Hurst now has six receptions for 103 yards through three games during his debut campaign.
In the same contest, former Troy wideout Tez Johnson made one catch for eight yards and returned three punts for 40 yards. Additional offensive contributions by former Sun Belt standouts included Coastal Carolina product and New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely making two catches for 13 yards in a 12-7 home win over the Tennessee Titans. Troy alum and Los Angeles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal rushed one time for six yards, made one catch for 14 yards and returned one kickoff 30 yards in his team’s 24-16 road setback to the Buffalo Bills.
Numerous defensive players provided impactful performances around the league on Sunday, including Arkansas State alumnus and New York Jets starting linebacker Demario Davis who recorded a season-high 10 tackles and one sack in a 31-24 road defeat to the Detroit Lions.
A quartet of Louisiana Tech alumni filled the stat sheet, as New England Patriots starting defensive lineman Milton Williams made five tackles in a 35-6 road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as Kansas City Chiefs first-string cornerback L’Jarius Sneed recorded three tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a 24-10 road victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Additionally, Chicago Bears defensive back Xavier Woods racked up five tackles and recovered a fumble in a 27-7 Monday Night Football victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Washington Commanders starting cornerback Amik Robertson tallied six tackles and defended four passes in a 33-31 home win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
A teammate of Robertson’s, South Alabama alum and starting safety Jeremy Reaves registered seven tackles and one pass defended in the victory.
Former Old Dominion standout and current San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Keion White earned another start while racking up three tackles and earning his second sack of the season in a 36-30 home win over the Arizona Cardinals.
On special teams, former Arkansas State kicker and New York Giants rookie Dominic Zvada scored all 12 of his team’s points, going 4-for-4 on field goals from distances of 39 yards (twice), 30 yards and 27 yards in the win over the Titans. Bills kicker and Georgia Southern alum Tyler Bass registered six points, making his lone field goal try from 28 yards out while converting all three of his extra point attempts.
Georgia State alum and Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz added two points with a pair of extra points in a 30-26 home win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.
App State
* Joey Aguilar - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Akeem Davis-Gaither - LB, Indianapolis Colts (1 G, 1 GS, 7 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended)
D’Marco Jackson - LB, Chicago Bears (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Tackles)
* Ahmani Marshall - RB, Carolina Panthers
Sam Martin - P, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 139 Yards)
^DeShawn McKnight - DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalen McLeod – LB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G, 2 Tackles)
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, 10 Tackles, 1 Sack, 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, 4-for-4 FG)
Coastal Carolina
Isaiah Likely – TE, New York Giants (1 G, 1 GS, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards)
* Malick Meiga - WR, Seattle Seahawks
Georgia Southern
^Darrell Baker Jr. - CB, Miami Dolphins
Tyler Bass - K, Buffalo Bills (1 G, 1 GS, 1-for-1 FG, 3-for-3 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 Reception, 40 Yards, 1 Touchdown)
Wil Lutz - K, Denver Broncos (1 G, 1 GS, 0-for-1 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)
Louisiana
Percy Butler - S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 4 Tackles)
* Dalen Cambre - WR, New York Giants
Kevin Dotson - OL, Los Angeles Rams (1 G, 1 GS)
Jaden Dugger - LB, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 GS, 1 Tackle)
Robert Hunt - OL, Carolina Panthers (1 G, 1 GS)
Andre Jones Jr. - LB, Miami Dolphins (1 G)
Keyon Martin - CB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G)
Max Mitchell - OL, New York Jets (1 G)
^K.C. Ossai - LB, Houston Texans
Nathan 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, 6 Tackles, 4 Passes Defended)
L’Jarius Sneed – CB, Kansas City Chiefs (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovered)
Milton Williams – DL, New England Patriots (1 G, 1 GS, 5 Tackles)
Xavier Woods – S, Chicago Bears (1 G, 5 Tackles, 1 Fumble Recovery)
Marshall
Rasheen Ali - RB, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 1 Kickoff Return, 16 Yards)
* Ethan Driskell - OL, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Green - EDGE, Baltimore Ravens (1 G, 3 Tackles)
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, 1 GS, 3 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Tackle-For-Loss)
South Alabama
* Kentrel Bullock - RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Darrell Luter Jr. - DB, Las Vegas Raiders (DNP)
Jamaal Pritchett - WR, New York Jets (1 G, 1 Kickoff Return, 27 Yards)
Jeremy Reaves - S, Washington Commanders (1 G, 1 GS, 7 Tackles, 1 Pass Defended)
* Jamie Sheriff - LB, Los Angeles Rams
Jalen Tolbert - WR, Miami Dolphins (1 G)
Corliss Waitman - P, San Francisco 49ers (1 G, 1 GS, 3 Punts, 145 Yards)
^Jeremiah Webb - WR, New England Patriots
Southern Miss
* Natrone Brooks – CB, Detroit Lions
Swayze Bozeman - LB, Cincinnati Bengals (1 G, 1 Tackle)
Frank Gore Jr. - RB, Buffalo Bills (DNP)
* Tim Jones - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
* Nick Mullens - QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Rakeem Nuñez-Roches - DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (DNP)
Troy
Jake Andrews - C, Houston Texans (1 G)
Tez Johnson - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 G, 1 Reception, 8 Yards, 3 Punt Returns, 40 Yards,
^Dell Pettus - S, New England Patriots
Caleb Ransaw - S, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 G, 4 Tackles)
Javon Solomon - LB, Buffalo Bills (1 G)
Reddy Steward - CB, Dallas Cowboys (1 G, 2 Tackles)
Kimani Vidal - RB, Los Angeles Chargers (1 G, 1 Rush, 6 Yards, 1 Reception, 14 Yards, 1 Kickoff Return, 30 Yards)
*Practice Squad
^Injured & Other Reserve