Sports season
The 2021 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 21st season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference . The season began September 2, 2021 and concluded with its championship game on December 4, 2021. It was part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Sun Belt Conference consists of 10 football members split into two divisions. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2021.[1]
Previous season [ edit ] The 2020 season saw Coastal Carolina win the East Division, while Louisiana won the West Division. The Conference Championship game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and the two teams were declared co-champions.[2] Coastal Carolina advanced to the Cure Bowl , where they lost in overtime to Liberty .[3] Louisiana advanced to the First Responder Bowl , where they defeated UTSA .[4]
Appalachian State ,[5] Georgia Southern ,[6] and Georgia State [7] also advanced to bowl games, with all winning their respective matches.
Preseason [ edit ] Preseason Media Poll [ edit ] The Preseason Media Poll was released on July 20. Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State tied as the favorites for the East Division, while Louisiana was favored to win the West Division.[8]
East Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) T1 Coastal Carolina 44 (6) T1 Appalachian State 44 (4) 3 Georgia State 24 4 Georgia Southern 20 5 Troy 18
West Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Louisiana 49 (9) 2 Arkansas State 38 (1) 3 South Alabama 27 4 Texas State 25 5 Louisiana–Monroe 11
Preseason awards [ edit ] The following list contains players and coaches included on preseason watch lists for national awards.
Preseason All-Conference teams [ edit ] Offensive Player of the Year: Grayson McCall (Redshirt Sophomore, Coastal Carolina quarterback) Defensive Player of the Year: Carlton Martial (Junior, Troy linebacker) Position Player Team Second Team Offense QB Levi Lewis Louisiana RB JD King Georgia Southern RB Daetrich Harrington Appalachian State OL Trey Carter Coastal Carolina OL Max Mitchell Louisiana OL Dylan Bradshaw Troy OL Willie Lampkin Coastal Carolina OL Aaron Dowdell Georgia Southern TE Roger Carter Georgia State WR Thomas Hennigan Appalachian State WR Marcell Barbee Texas State WR Cornelius McCoy Georgia State Second Team Defense DL Zi'Yon Hill Louisiana DL Hardrick Willis Georgia State DL Dontae Wilson Georgia State DL Nico Ezidore Texas State LB Lorenzo McCaskill Louisiana LB Teddy Gallagher Coastal Carolina LB Brendan Harrington Appalachian State DB Antavious Lane Georgia State DB Quavian White Georgia State DB Keith Gallmon South Alabama DB Eric Garror Louisiana Second Team Special Teams K Massimo Biscardi Coastal Carolina P Anthony Beck II Georgia Southern RS Khaleb Hood Georgia Southern
Head coaches [ edit ] Prior to the season, Arkansas State , Louisiana–Monroe , and South Alabama saw coaching changes. At Arkansas State, Butch Jones was named head coach after previous head coach Blake Anderson left the team to take the head coach position with Utah State of the Mountain West Conference .[29] At Louisiana–Monroe, Terry Bowden took over as head coach after Matt Viator was fired by the school.[30] At South Alabama, Kane Wommack took over as head coach after previous head coach Steve Campbell was fired by the school.[31]
Team Head coach Previous Job Years at school Overall record Sun Belt record Sun Belt titles Appalachian State Shawn Clark Appalachian State (Off. Line Coach) 2 10–3 (.769) 6–2 (.750) 0 Arkansas State Butch Jones Alabama (assistant coach) 1 84–54 (.609) 0–0 (–) 0 Coastal Carolina Jamey Chadwell Coastal Carolina (Off. Coordinator) 4 79–52 (.603) 12–12 (.500) 1 Georgia Southern Chad Lunsford Georgia Southern (assistant coach) 5 27–18 (.600) 17–13 (.567) 0 Georgia State Shawn Elliott South Carolina (Off. Line Coach) 5 22–25 (.468) 14–18 (.438) 0 Louisiana Billy Napier Arizona State (Off. Coordinator) 4 28–11 (.718) 19–5 (.792) 1 Louisiana–Monroe Terry Bowden Clemson (Grad. Assistant) 1 175–114–2 (.605) 0–0 (–) 0 South Alabama Kane Wommack Indiana (Def. Coordinator) 1 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0 Texas State Jake Spavital West Virginia (Off. Coordinator) 3 5–19 (.208) 4–12 (.250) 0 Troy Chip Lindsey Auburn (Off. Coordinator) 3 10–13 (.435) 6–9 (.400) 0
Mid-Season changes [ edit ] On September 26, Georgia Southern announced that they had fired Chad Lunsford . Georgia Southern named cornerbacks coach Kevin Whitley as the interim head coach.[32] Former USC head coach Clay Helton was later announced as the permanent replacement for Lunsford beginning in 2022. On November 21, Troy announced that they had fired Chip Lindsey . Troy named defensive coordinator Brandon Hall as the interim head coach.[33] On December 3, the school announced Kentucky defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall as the new permanent head coach.[34] Post-season changes [ edit ] Rankings [ edit ] Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Final Appalachian State AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV C RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released Arkansas State AP C CFP Not released Coastal Carolina AP 22 17 16 17 16 15 15 14 24 21 22 RV RV C 24 19 18 17 16т 15 15 16 24 21 21 RV RV RV RV RV CFP Not released Georgia Southern AP C CFP Not released Georgia State AP C CFP Not released Louisiana AP 23 RV RV RV 24 24 22 23 20 16 16 C 23 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 21 23 21 17 18 CFP Not released 24 23 Louisiana–Monroe AP C CFP Not released South Alabama AP C CFP Not released Texas State AP C CFP Not released Troy AP C CFP Not released
Legend Improvement in ranking Drop in ranking Not ranked previous week No change in ranking from previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol
Schedule [ edit ] Index to colors and formatting Sun Belt member won Sun Belt member lost Sun Belt teams in bold
All times Central time.
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance September 2 6:00 p.m. The Citadel No. 22 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ W 52–14 16,236 September 2 6:30 p.m. East Carolina Appalachian State Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC (Duke's Mayo Classic ) ESPNU W 33–19 36,752 September 4 11:00 a.m. Army Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPNU L 10–43 18,280 September 4 11:00 a.m. Louisiana–Monroe Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY SECN L 10–45 47,693 September 4 3:30 p.m. No. 23 Louisiana No. 21 Texas Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX FOX L 18–38 91,113 September 4 5:00 p.m. Gardner–Webb Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN3 W 30–25 15,089 September 4 6:00 p.m. No. 14 (FCS ) Central Arkansas Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR ESPN3 W 40–21 15,662 September 4 6:00 p.m. Baylor Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX ESPN+ L 20–29 26,573 September 4 6:00 p.m. Southern Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL ESPN3 W 55–3 22,399 September 4 7:00 p.m. Southern Miss South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPN+ W 31–7 20,156 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance September 10 6:30 p.m. Kansas No. 17 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN2 W 49–22 17,697 September 11 2:30 p.m. Georgia Southern Florida Atlantic FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL Stadium L 6–38 17,736 September 11 3:00 p.m. South Alabama Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH ESPN+ W 22–19 15,105 September 11 6:00 p.m. Appalachian State No. 22 Miami (FL) Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL ESPNU L 23–25 45,877 September 11 6:00 p.m. Nicholls Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA ESPN3 W 27–24 25,417 September 11 6:00 p.m. Texas State FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Miami, FL ESPN+ W 23–17 OT 0 September 11 6:00 p.m. Liberty Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL ESPN+ L 13–21 24,714 September 11 6:00 p.m. Memphis Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR (Paint Bucket Bowl ) ESPN+ L 50–55 19,501 September 11 6:30 p.m. Georgia State No. 24 North Carolina Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC ESPN3 L 17–59 50,500 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance September 16 7:00 p.m. Ohio Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA ESPN W 49–14 17,709 September 18 11:00 a.m. No. 16 Coastal Carolina Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY ESPN2 W 28–25 16,739 September 18 2:30 p.m. Elon Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ESPN+ W 44–10 30,224 September 18 3:00 p.m. Georgia Southern No. 20 Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR SECN L 10–45 66,311 September 18 3:15 p.m. Arkansas State Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA P12N L 3–52 58,772 September 18 6:00 p.m. Charlotte Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN+ W 20–9 12,978 September 18 6:00 p.m. Troy Southern Miss M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS ESPN+ W 21–9 24,242 September 18 6:00 p.m. Incarnate Word Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX ESPN3 L 34–42 16,107 September 18 7:00 p.m. Jackson State Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA ESPN3 W 12–7 21,720 September 18 7:00 p.m. Alcorn State South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPN3 W 28–21 15,204 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance September 23 6:30 p.m. Marshall Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ESPN W 31–30 28,377 September 25 12:00 p.m. UMass No. 17 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ W 53–3 15,261 September 25 1:00 p.m. Texas State Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI ESPN+ L 21–59 14,253 September 25 3:00 p.m. Georgia State No. 23 Auburn Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL SECN L 24–34 86,650 September 25 4:00 p.m. Arkansas State Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK ESPN+ L 34–41 14,881 September 25 5:00 p.m. Louisiana Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN+ ULL 28–20 17,522 September 25 7:00 p.m. Troy Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA ESPN+ ULM 29–16 12,766 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance October 2 1:00 p.m. Appalachian State Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN+ APPST 45–16 14,258 October 2 1:30 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe No. 16 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ CCU 59–6 18,674 October 2 2:30 p.m. Troy South Carolina Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC SECN L 14–23 60,866 October 2 3:00 p.m. Arkansas State Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN+ GASO 59–33 16,377 October 2 7:00 p.m. Louisiana South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPN+ ULL 20–18 16,764 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance October 7 6:30 p.m. No. 15 Coastal Carolina Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR ESPNU CCU 52–20 12,086 October 9 6:00 p.m. Georgia Southern Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL ESPN+ TROY 27–24 25,424 October 9 6:00 p.m. South Alabama Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX ESPN+ TXST 33–31 4OT 16,223 October 9 7:00 p.m. Georgia State Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA ESPN3 GSU 55–21 9,913 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance October 12 6:30 p.m. Appalachian State Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA ESPN2 ULL 41–13 20,066 October 14 6:30 p.m. Georgia Southern South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPNU SOAL 41–14 16,089 October 16 2:00 p.m. Troy Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX ESPN+ TROY 31–28 15,083 October 16 6:00 p.m. Liberty Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA ESPN+ W 31–28 11,546 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance October 20 6:30 p.m. No. 14 Coastal Carolina Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ESPN2 APPST 30–27 31,061 October 21 6:30 p.m. Louisiana Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR ESPNU ULL 28–27 7,138 October 23 1:00 p.m. Texas State Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN+ GSU 28–16 16,779 October 23 6:00 p.m. South Alabama Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA ESPN3 ULM 41–31 11,723 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance October 28 6:30 p.m. Troy No. 24 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN2 CCU 35–28 11,689 October 30 11:00 a.m. Texas State Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA ESPNU ULL 45–0 28,794 October 30 2:30 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ESPN+ APPST 59–28 29,321 October 30 4:00 p.m. Arkansas State South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPN+ USA 31–13 15,043 October 30 5:00 p.m. Georgia State Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA (rivalry ) ESPN+ GSU 21–14 17,843 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Week 10 [ edit ] Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance November 4 6:30 p.m. Georgia State No. 24 Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA ESPN ULL 21–17 16,007 November 6 1:00 p.m. Appalachian State Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR ESPN+ APPST 48–14 9,762 November 6 2:00 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX ESPN+ TXST 27–19 16,237 November 6 2:30 p.m. South Alabama Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL (Battle for the Belt ) ESPN+ TROY 31–24 26,211 November 6 5:00 p.m. No. 21 Coastal Carolina Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN+ CCU 28–8 12,875 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Week 11 [ edit ] Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance November 13 1:00 p.m. Georgia State No. 22 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ GSU 42–40 16,744 November 13 1:30 p.m. South Alabama Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC ESPN+ APPST 31–7 29,348 November 13 2:00 p.m. Georgia Southern Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX ESPN+ GASO 38–30 15,896 November 13 2:30 p.m. No. 24 Louisiana Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL ESPN+ ULL 35–21 24,738 November 13 4:00 p.m. Arkansas State Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA ESPN+ ARKST 27–24 12,010 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Week 12 [ edit ] Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance November 20 12:00 p.m. Texas State Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC ESPN+ CCU 35–21 10,386 November 20 1:00 p.m. Arkansas State Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN3 GSU 28–20 14,273 November 20 2:30 p.m. Appalachian State Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL ESPN+ APPST 45–7 18,523 November 20 3:00 p.m. No. 14 BYU Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA ESPN+ L 17–34 20,862 November 20 3:00 p.m. No. 22 Louisiana Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA ESPNU W 42–14 15,564 November 20 6:30 p.m. South Alabama Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN ESPNU L 14–60 75,203 November 20 8:00 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe LSU Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA ESPN2 L 14–27 92,790 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Week 13 [ edit ] Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance November 26 2:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL ESPN+ CCU 27–21 OT 13,242 November 27 1:00 p.m. Texas State Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR ESPN+ TXST 24–22 3,116 November 27 1:00 p.m. Troy Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN+ GSU 37–10 13,875 November 27 1:30 p.m. Georgia Southern Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC (rivalry ) ESPN+ APPST 27–3 28,005 November 27 3:00 p.m. Louisiana–Monroe No. 23 Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA (Battle on the Bayou ) ESPNU ULL 21–16 18,447 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Championship Game [ edit ] Week Fifteen (Sun Belt Championship Game) [ edit ] Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance December 4 2:30 p.m. Appalachian State Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA ESPN ULL 24–16 31,014 # Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time .
Postseason [ edit ] Bowl Games [ edit ] Legend Sun Belt win Sun Belt loss
Sun Belt records vs other conferences [ edit ] 2021–2022 records against non-conference foes:
Sun Belt vs Power 5 matchups [ edit ] This is a list of games the Sun Belt has scheduled versus power conference teams (ACC , Big 10 , Big 12 , Pac-12 , BYU , Notre Dame and SEC ). All rankings are from the current AP Poll at the time of the game.
Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score September 4 SEC Louisiana–Monroe Kentucky Kroger Field • Lexington, KY L 10–45 September 4 Big 12 No. 23 Louisiana No. 21 Texas Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX L 18–38 September 4 Big 12 Baylor Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX L 20–29 September 10 Big 12 Kansas No. 17 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC W 49–22 September 11 ACC Appalachian State No. 22 Miami (FL) Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, FL L 23–25 September 11 ACC Georgia State No. 24 North Carolina Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC L 17–59 September 18 SEC Georgia Southern No. 20 Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR L 10–45 September 18 Pac-12 Arkansas State Washington Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA L 3–52 September 25 SEC Georgia State No. 23 Auburn Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL L 24–34 October 2 SEC Troy South Carolina Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC L 14–23 November 20 SEC Louisiana-Monroe LSU Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA L 14–27 November 20 SEC South Alabama Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN L 14–60 November 20 Independent No. 14 BYU Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 17–34
Sun Belt vs Group of Five matchups [ edit ] The following games include Sun Belt teams competing against teams from the American , C-USA , MAC , or Mountain West .
Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score September 2 American East Carolina Appalachian State Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC W 33–19 September 4 C-USA Southern Miss South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL W 31–7 September 11 C-USA Georgia Southern Florida Atlantic FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL L 6–38 September 11 MAC South Alabama Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, OH W 22–19 September 11 C-USA Texas State FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium • Miami, FL W 23–17 OT September 11 American Memphis Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR L 50–55 September 16 MAC Ohio Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA W 49–14 September 18 MAC No. 16 Coastal Carolina Buffalo UB Stadium • Buffalo, NY W 28–25 September 18 C-USA Charlotte Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA W 20–9 September 18 C-USA Troy Southern Miss M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS W 21–9 September 23 C-USA Marshall Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC W 31–30 September 25 American Arkansas State Tulsa H. A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, OK L 34–41 September 25 MAC Texas State Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium • Ypsilanti, MI L 21–59
Sun Belt vs FBS independents matchups [ edit ] The following games include Sun Belt teams competing against FBS Independents , which includes Army , Liberty , New Mexico State , UConn , or UMass .
Date Conference Visitor Home Site Score September 4 Independent Army Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA L 10–43 September 11 Independent Liberty Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL L 13–21 September 25 Independent UMass No. 17 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC W 53–3 October 16 Independent Liberty Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA W 31-28 November 20 Independent No. 22 Louisiana Liberty Williams Stadium • Lynchburg, VA W 42–14
Sun Belt vs FCS matchups [ edit ] Date Visitor Home Site Score September 2 The Citadel No. 22 Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC W 52–14 September 4 Gardner–Webb Georgia Southern Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 30–25 September 4 Central Arkansas Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR W 40–21 September 4 Southern Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL W 55–3 September 11 Nicholls Louisiana Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA W 27–24 September 18 Elon Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, NC W 44–10 September 18 Incarnate Word Texas State Bobcat Stadium • San Marcos, TX L 34–42 September 18 Jackson State Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA W 12–7 September 18 Alcorn State South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, AL W 28–21
Awards and honors [ edit ] Player of the week honors [ edit ] Sun Belt Individual Awards [ edit ] The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Sun Belt Conference football coaches at the end of the season.[48]
All-Conference Teams [ edit ] The following players were selected as part of the Sun Belt's All-Conference Teams.[48]
Position Player Team Second Team Offense WR Malik Williams Appalachian State WR Thomas Hennigan Appalachian State WR Corey Rucker Arkansas State OL Malik Sumter Georgia State OL Shane Vallot Louisiana OL Dylan Bradshaw Troy OL Willie Lampkin Coastal Carolina OL Austin Stidham Troy TE Roger Carter Georgia State QB Levi Lewis Louisiana RB Montrell Johnson Jr. Louisiana RB Camerun Peoples Appalachian State Second Team Defense DL Jeffrey Gunter Coastal Carolina DL Kivon Bennett Arkansas State DL Zi'Yon Hill Louisiana DL CJ Wright Georgia Southern DL Will Choloh Troy LB Chauncey Manac Louisiana LB Trey Cobb Appalachian State LB Lorenzo McCaskill Louisiana DB Keith Gallmon Jr. South Alabama DB Percy Butler Louisiana DB Kaiden Smith Appalachian State DB Eric Garror Louisiana Second Team Specialists K Blake Grupe Arkansas State P Anthony Beck II Georgia Southern AP Alan Lamar Arkansas State KRS Jalen Virgil Appalachian State
Position Player Team Third Team Offense WR Tez Johnson Troy WR TeVailance Hunt Arkansas State WR Boogie Knight Louisiana–Monroe OL Anderson Hardy Appalachian State OL Trey Carter Coastal Carolina OL Dalton Cooper Texas State OL Pat Bartlett Georgia State OL Khalil Crowder Georgia Southern TE Lincoln Sefcik South Alabama QB Chase Brice Appalachian State RB Chris Smith Louisiana RB Tucker Gregg Georgia State Third Team Defense DL Tayland Humphrey Louisiana DL Richard Jibunor Troy DL Dontae Wilson Georgia State DL Andre Jones Jr. Louisiana LB Nick Hampton Appalachian State LB Eldrick Robinson II Georgia Southern LB Blake Carroll Georgia State DB Quavian White Georgia State DB Anthony Wilson Georgia Southern DB Alex Spillum Coastal Carolina DB Mekhi Garner Louisiana DB TJ Harris Troy Third Team Specialists K Calum Sutherland Louisiana–Monroe P Ryan Hanson Arkansas State AP Caleb Spurlin Appalachian State KRS Jaivon Heiligh Coastal Carolina
All-Americans [ edit ] The 2021 College Football All-America Teams are composed of the following College Football All-American first teams chosen by the following selector organizations: Associated Press (AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF), The Sporting News (TSN ), Sports Illustrated (SI ), USA Today (USAT) ESPN , CBS Sports (CBS), FOX Sports (FOX) College Football News (CFN ), Bleacher Report (BR), Scout.com , Phil Steele (PS), SB Nation (SB), Athlon Sports , Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Yahoo! Sports (Yahoo!).
Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. Football consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN , and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.
Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus First Team All-Americans DB Steven Jones Jr. Appalachian State FWAA
Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus Second Team All-Americans OL Max Mitchell Louisiana CBS, TSN , USAT, WCFF TE Isaiah Likely Coastal Carolina FWAA , WCFF DB Steven Jones Jr. Appalachian State WCFF
Position Player School Selector Unanimous Consensus Third Team All-Americans OL Max Mitchell Louisiana AP
NFL Draft [ edit ] The following list includes all Sun Belt players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft .
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Retrieved July 26, 2021 . ^ "2021 Outland Trophy Award Watchlist Unveiled" . July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021 . ^ "2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist Unveiled" . July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021 . ^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2021 Preseason Watch List" . July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021 . ^ "57 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2021 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST" . July 29, 2021. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021 . ^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2021 Watch List" . July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021 . ^ "Walter Camp Foundation Announces 2021 Player of the Year Preseason Watch List" . July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 . ^ "Allstate Sugar Bowl announces Manning Award Watch List" . August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021 . ^ "Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award announces 2021 Preseason Watch List" (PDF) . August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021 . ^ "Ray Guy Award announces 2021 Preseason Watch List" . August 13, 2021. 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"Troy hires Jon Sumrall as head football coach" . al.com . Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved December 4, 2021 . ^ "Arkansas State's Rucker, Troy's Williams & Georgia Southern's Williams Earn Sun Belt Weekly Honors" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021 . ^ "Coastal Carolina's White & Stewart & South Alabama's Guajardo Claim Sun Belt Weekly Awards" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021 . ^ "Louisiana's Johnson, Troy's Solomon & ULM's Sutherland Earn Sun Belt Weekly Nods" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021 . ^ "App State's Noel, ULM's Williams & Arkansas State's Lamar Claim Sun Belt Weekly Honors" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021 . ^ "Georgia Southern's Wright, App State's Jackson & Louisiana's Smith Capture Sun Belt Weekly Awards" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021 . ^ "Coastal Carolina's Likely, Texas State's Tupou & Troy's Buce Earn Sun Belt Weekly Accolades" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021 . ^ "South Alabama's Bentley, Troy's Martial & ULM's Sutherland Reap Sun Belt Weekly Honors" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021 . ^ "ULM's Rogers, App State's Taylor & Staton Capture Sun Belt Weekly Accolades" . sunbeltsports.com . Sun Belt Conference. October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021 . ^ "Coastal Carolina's McCall, App State's Cobb & Arkansas State's Lamar Earn Sun Belt Weekly Nods" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021 . ^ "Texas State's Vitt, App State's Jones & Coastal Carolina's Spillum Claim Sun Belt Weekly Awards" . sunbeltsports.org . Sun Belt Conference. November 8, 2021. 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East Division West Division Championships & awards Seasons
Conference seasons Inter-conference All-Americans