CAJUNS PLACE SIX ON PRESEASON SBC TEAM; PICKED FIRST IN WEST
Louisiana claims six first-place votes in being named West Division preseason favorite
NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Football team placed six student-athletes on the 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team, the league office announced Monday, as Louisiana was also selected to finish first in the West Division in a vote of the conference’s head coaches and select media.
Headlining the Cajuns’ selections are defensive lineman Jordan Lawson and safety Tyree Skipper, who were both named to the First Team, while running back Bill Davis, offensive linemen Jax Harrington and George Jackson, and linebacker Cam Whitfield garnered Second Team recognition.
Lawson, a returning All-Sun Belt performer, started all 14 games in 2024 and emerged as a dominant force on the Cajuns’ defensive front. He totaled 44 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and 5.5 sacks, while adding five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, interception, and a pair of pass breakups. Lawson saved some of his biggest performances for key late-season games, including 2.5 sacks against Arkansas State and a pivotal interception return in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl against TCU.
Skipper was a playmaker in the secondary, posting 41 tackles and tying for the team lead with four interceptions despite missing the final five games due to injury. The hard-hitting safety earned Second Team All-Sun Belt honors last season and made his presence known with a pair of picks in a win over App State and a game-sealing interception against Wake Forest.
Davis finished as Louisiana’s leading rusher in 2024, carrying the ball 163 times for 796 yards and nine touchdowns. A reliable scoring threat, Davis posted three multi-touchdown games and had a pair of 100-yard rushing performances, including 110 yards at Coastal Carolina and a 103-yard outing against Tulane. He also caught an 11-yard touchdown in the win over Coastal.
Whitfield made national headlines after recording four sacks and two forced fumbles in a win at Southern Miss, earning Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors. He started all 14 games and finished with 40 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and 5.5 sacks. Whitfield added sacks in the SBC Championship Game and in wins over Coastal and Texas State.
Jax Harrington was a steady presence on the offensive line, starting in all 12 games he played. He helped anchor a unit that ranked fifth nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed (3.58 per game). His leadership and consistency were pivotal in paving the way for a top-20 nationally ranked offense.
Jackson started 12 games in 2024 and was graded above 90 percent 10 times, with a season-high 100 percent performance and five knockdowns at Texas State. The veteran lineman logged 31 knockdowns on the year and helped the Cajuns finish 18th nationally in total offense and 44th in rushing.
Louisiana, coming off its fourth 10-win season in the past six years, officially opens its season on August 30 when it hosts American Conference member Rice in the inaugural game of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
Season tickets for the 2025 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Football season are available now at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
Fans are encouraged to stay connected with Louisiana Football by downloading the official #GeauxCajuns App — click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS and here [play.google.com] for Android — and by following the Ragin’ Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@RaginCajunsFB).
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON AWARDS
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss (RS Sr., QB – Frisco, Texas)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Blayne Myrick, South Alabama (RS Jr., LB – Fairhope, Ala.)
Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year
Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (Jr., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Offense
QB – Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss (RS Sr., QB – Frisco, Texas)
RB – George Pettaway, James Madison (RS Jr., RB – Suffolk, Va.)
RB – Kentrel Bullock, South Alabama (Sr., RB – Columbia, Miss.)
OL – Nick Del Grande, Coastal Carolina (RS Jr., OL – Lancaster, Pa.)
OL – Caleb Cook, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., OL – Brunswick, Ga.)
OL – Pichon Wimbley, Georgia Southern (Sr., OL – Newnan, Ga.)
OL – Pat McMurtrie, James Madison (Gr., OL – Verona, N.J.)
OL – Zach Barlev, Old Dominion (Sr., OL – Bolingbrook, Ill.)
TE – Toby Payne, Marshall (RS Jr., TE – Poca, W.Va.)
WR – Corey Rucker, Arkansas State (RS Sr., WR – Bentonia, Miss.)
WR – Josh Dallas, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., WR – Sharpsburg, Ga.)
WR – Ted Hurst, Georgia State (Sr., WR – Savannah, Ga.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Defense
DL – Bryan Whitehead, Arkansas State (RS Sr., DL – Bartlett, Tenn.)
DL – Latrell Bullard, Georgia Southern (Sr., DL – Smyrna, Ga.)
DL – Jordan Lawson, Louisiana (RS Sr., DL – Brandon, Miss.)
DL – Kevontay Wells, ULM (Sr., DL – Jackson, Miss.)
DL – Brodarius Lewis, Southern Miss (Gr., DL – Prattville, Ala.)
LB – Brendan Harrington, Georgia Southern (7th Yr., LB – Moncure, N.C.)
LB – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (RS Sr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
LB – Blayne Myrick, South Alabama (RS Jr., LB – Fairhope, Ala.)
DB – Chance Gamble, Georgia Southern (RS Sr., DB – Fitzgerald, Ga.)
DB – Jacob Thomas, James Madison (Sr., DB – Ashburn, Va.)
DB – Tyree Skipper, Louisiana (RS Sr., DB – New Orleans, La.)
DB – Josh Moten, Southern Miss (RS Sr., DB – Waldorf, Md.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Special Teams
K – Clune Van Andel, Arkansas State (Jr., K – Grand Rapids, Mich.)
P – Alex Smith, Georgia Southern (Jr., P – Melbourne, Australia)
RS – Ian Foster, Southern Miss (RS So., RS – Brundidge, Ala.)
AP – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS Sr., AP – Hampton, Ark.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense
QB – Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
RB – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS Sr., RB – Hampton, Ark.)
RB – Bill Davis, Louisiana (RS So., RB – LaPlace, La.)
OL – Jax Harrington, Louisiana (RS Sr., OL – Erath, La.)
OL – George Jackson, Louisiana (RS Sr., OL – Stone Mountain, Ga.)
OL – Jalen Slappy, Marshall (RS Jr., OL – Columbus, Ohio)
OL – Jordan Davis, South Alabama (RS Sr., OL – Fairburn, Ga.)
OL – Eli Russ, Troy (Sr., OL – Ardmore, Okla.)
TE – Kyirin Heath, Southern Miss (Sr., TE – Mansfield, Texas)
WR – Dalton Stroman, App State (RS Sr., WR – Rockingham, N.C.)
WR – Jameson Tucker, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., WR – Mauldin, S.C.)
WR – Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern (Sr., WR – Washington, Ga.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense
DL – Henry Bryant, Georgia State (RS Sr., DL – Delray Beach, Fla.)
DL – Immanuel Bush, James Madison (RS Sr., DL – Lancaster, S.C.)
DL – Kris Trinidad, Old Dominion (RS Sr., DL – Richmond, Va.)
DL – Luis Medina, Troy (Sr., DL – Summerville, Ga.)
LB – Shane Bruce, Coastal Carolina (Gr., LB – Carrollton, Ga.)
LB – Trent Hendrick, James Madison (Sr., LB – Richmond, Va.)
LB – Cameron Whitfield, Louisiana (RS Sr., LB – Houston, Texas)
LB – Koa Naotala, Old Dominion (RS Jr., LB – Newport News, Va.)
DB – Tracy Hill Jr., Georgia Southern (RS Jr., DB – Athens, Ga.)
DB – DJ Barksdale, James Madison (Jr., DB – Rock Hill, S.C.)
DB – Wesley Miller, South Alabama (RS Jr., DB – Columbia, Miss.)
DB – Devin Lafayette, Troy (Sr., DB – Brunswick, Ga.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Special Teams
K – Scott Taylor Renfroe, Troy (Sr., K – Troy, Ala.)
P – Aleksi Pulkkinen, South Alabama (Jr., P – Helsinki, Finland)
RS – Ja’Quez Cross, Arkansas State (RS Sr., RS – Hampton, Ark.)
AP – George Pettaway, James Madison (RS Jr., AP – Suffolk, Va.)
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First-Place Votes)
East Division
1. James Madison – 94 Points (11)
2. Georgia Southern – 76 Points (1)
3. App State – 60 Points
4. Coastal Carolina – 49 Points (1)
5. Old Dominion – 48 Points
6. Marshall – 42 Points (1)
7. Georgia State – 23 Points
West Division
1. Louisiana – 86 Points (6)
2. Texas State – 78 Points (6)
3. Arkansas State – 64 Points (1)
4. South Alabama – 50 Points (1)
5. Southern Miss – 47 Points
6. Troy – 43 Points
7. ULM – 24 Points