Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Sun Belt season with the CFN All-Sun Belt Team & Top 30 players.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews
Sun Belt Team Previews, 5 Things To Know
East Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern | Georgia State | Troy
West Arkansas State | Louisiana
South Alabama | Texas State | ULM
2019 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year
QB Zac Thomas, Jr. Appalachian State
There are going to be more explosive Sun Belt quarterbacks – ULM’s Caleb Evans, Georgia Southern’s Shai Werts – and Georgia State’s Dan Ellington and Troy’s Kaleb Barker should have massive years, but it’s Thomas who’ll be the ultra-efficient leader of the league’s best team.
The numbers started to fizzle at the end of last year, but he hit the touchdown passes needed, didn’t make a slew of mistakes, and was exactly what ASU needed on the way to the Sun Belt title and bowl win. He completed 63% of his throws with 21 touchdown and six picks – four before the bowl game – and ran for 504 yards and ten scores.
– 2019 CFN All-Sun Belt Top 30 Players
2018 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year
CB Kindle Vildor, Sr. Georgia Southern
A fantastic recruit for the program, he was a factor right away as a freshman and grew into a force by his junior year. An all-star in the classroom and on the field, the Sun Belt star is the conference’s best pro prospect with 5-11, 190-pound size, tremendous quickness, and great ball-hawking ability making 42 tackles with four picks and 11 broken up passes.
2019 Preseason CFN All-Sun Belt Offense
QB – Zac Thomas, Jr. Appalachian State
RB – BJ Smith, Sr. Troy
RB – (WR) Darryton Evans, Jr. Appalachian State
WR – Kirk Merritt, Sr. Arkansas State
WR – Corey Sutton, Jr. Appalachian State
TE – Javonis Isaac, Jr. Arkansas State
OT – Robert Hunt, Sr. Louisiana
OG – Kevin Dotson, Sr. Louisiana
C – Noah Hannon, Jr. Appalachian State
OG – Kirk Kelley, Sr. Troy
OT – Victor Johnson, Sr. Appalachian State
2019 Preseason CFN All-Sun Belt Defense
DE – Raymond Johnson, Jr. Georgia Southern
DT – Zi’Yon Hill, Soph. Louisiana
DT – Forrest Merrill, Jr. Arkansas State
DE – Tyree Turner, Sr. South Alabama
LB – Jordan Fehr, Sr. Appalachian State
LB – Bryan London, Sr. Texas State
LB – Carlton Martial, Soph. Troy
CB – Jerry Jacobs, Sr. Arkansas State
S – Desmond Franklin, Sr. Appalachian State
S – Darreon Jackson, Sr. Arkansas State
CB – Kindle Vildor, Sr. Georgia Southern
2019 Preseason CFN All-Sun Belt Special Teams
PK – Tyler Bass, Sr. Georgia Southern
P – Brandon Wright, Jr. Georgia State
KR – Darryton Evans, Jr. Appalachian State
PR – Hutch White, Sr. Texas State
NEXT: 2019 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Top 30 Players
2019 Preseason CFN Sun Belt Top 30 Players
1. QB Zac Thomas, Jr. Appalachian State
2. CB Kindle Vildor, Sr. Georgia Southern
3. LB Bryan London, Sr. Texas State
4. QB Caleb Evans, Sr. ULM
5. LB Jordan Fehr, Sr. Appalachian State
6. RB BJ Smith, Sr. Troy
7. OT Victor Johnson, Sr. Appalachian State
8. WR Kirk Merritt, Sr. Arkansas State
9. RB/WR Darryton Evans, Jr. Appalachian State
10. RB Elijah Mitchell, Jr. Louisiana
11. WR Corey Sutton, Jr. Appalachian State
12. RB Trey Ragas, Jr. Louisiana
13. OT Robert Hunt, Sr. Louisiana
14. S Desmond Franklin, Sr. Appalachian State
15. CB Jerry Jacobs, Sr. Arkansas State
16. LB Carlton Martial, Soph. Troy
17. QB Shai Werts, Jr. Georgia Southern
18. LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, Sr. Appalachian State
19. DE Raymond Johnson, Jr. Georgia Southern
20. DE Tyree Turner, Sr. South Alabama
21. CB Monquavion Brinson, Sr. Georgia Southern
22. OG Kevin Dotson, Sr. Louisiana
23. LB Nikolas Daniels. Sr. Texas State
24. OT Hunter Atkinson, Sr. Georgia State
25. DE Tarron Jackson, Jr. Coastal Carolina
26. DT Zi’Yon Hill, Soph. Louisiana
27. DE Kerry Starks, Jr. ULM
28. QB Kaleb Barker, Sr. Troy
29. RB Marcel Murray, Soph. Arkansas State
30. OG Kirk Kelley, Sr. Troy
Sun Belt Team Previews, 5 Things To Know
East Appalachian State | Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern | Georgia State | Troy
West Arkansas State | Louisiana
South Alabama | Texas State | ULM
