Troy Picked to Win SBC West, Seven Trojans Named All-Sun Belt

TROY, Ala. – Troy has been picked to repeat as Sun Belt Conference champions in a vote by the league's 14 head coaches, and seven Troy players were named to eight spots on the annual SBC Preseason All-Sun Belt Team, the league office announced Monday.

Troy, which won its seventh Sun Belt title last season, received 10 of the 14 first place votes in the West Division and finished with 92 overall points, the most of any team in either division. In-state rival South Alabama received four first place votes and was picked second behind the Trojans by just seven overall points.

Three Trojans – Reddy Steward, Richard Jibunor and T.J. Jackson – were named to the All-Sun Belt First Team, while Kimani Vidal, Daniel King, Dell Pettus and Javon Solomon earned second team honors; Vidal was selected as a running back and all-purpose player. Troy's eight All-Sun Belt picks ranked second only to South Alabama's nine, while the Trojans' five defensive picks were by far the most in the league.

Reddy Steward
Named to the All-Sun Belt First Team … Top-rated cornerback in the Sun Belt per PFF, second-rated corner in the G5 and in the country with an overall 90.7 grade ... Ranked second nationally holding opponents to 8.7 yards after the catch and his NFL Passer Rating Against is the ninth best nationally ... Returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown at Arkansas State and added another pick late in the fourth quarter to lock in Troy's Sun Belt West Title

Richard Jibunor
Earned All-Sun Belt Third Team honors … Tied for 17th nationally with a tackle for loss in 10 different games and was third with a sack in nine games … Finished the season with 11 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, an interception, two pass break ups, seven quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles … One of five players in the country with at least three forced fumbles, 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and an interception … Forced fumbles in back-to-back games in the fourth quarter – at Western Kentucky with Troy leading 34-27, WKU had 2nd-and-8 from the Troy 32-yard line with 1:01 to play in the game, and against Southern Miss with Troy leading 20-10 … Forced and recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in Troy's victory over UTSA in the Cure Bowl

T.J. Jackson
Named to the All-Sun Belt First Team … One of just 16 players nationally to record at least 14.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks and two forced fumbles on the year … Recorded 1.5 tackles for loss in five different games, tied for the 15th most in the country … Tied for fourth nationally with 1.5 sacks in three different games … Finished the season with a team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks; ranked third in the SBC in sacks and finished second in tackles for loss

Kimani Vidal
Named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team … Became just the 11th 1,000-yard rusher in program history, rushed for 1,132 yards and 10 touchdowns on 231 carries … First third in the Sun Belt in rushing and fourth in touchdowns … Topped the 200-yard mark in a pair of games – 242 yards against ULM and 208 yards at Arkansas State – just the second player in program history to rush for more than 200 yards in multiple games in the same season; Eddie Brundidge (1986) … Became just the 13th player in Sun Belt history to post multiple 200- yard rushing games in a season and the first since App State's Jalin Moore in 2017  …  Averaged 158.5 yards in his four November games, the fifth-highest average in the country; his seven rushing touchdowns in the month tied Texas' Bijan Robinson for the most in the country … Rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, 8.3 yards per carry, against ULM; it was the second-most yards in a game in Troy history (244 Eddie Brundidge vs. Virginia Union, 1986) … His 242 yards are tied for the 20th most in a game in Sun Belt history and the ninth most in an NCAA FBS game during the 2022 season

Daniel King
Started all 14 games at right guard … Troy's top-rated pass blocker per Pro Football Focus … Allowed just two sacks, one QB hit, 10 hurries and 13 pressures in 467 passing situations … Called for just four penalties … Played 888 offensive snaps … Did not allow a sack in the final six games of the season … Ranked third among Sun Belt guards (min. 600 snaps) per PFF in pass blocking … Leader on an offensive line that paved the way for Kimani Vidal to hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career and the 11th in Troy history … The Trojan offense was one of the most explosive in the country, ranking fourth with nine passes of 50-plus yards and five passes of 60-plus yards

Dell Pettus
Started all 14 games for the Trojans at strong safety … Ranked 12th per Pro Football Focus among all Group of Five defenders with a 77.7 tackle grade, second-best among safeties … Finished season with 66 tackles, a half tackle for loss, two pass break ups and a fumble recovery … Per PFF, 29th among all G5 defenders in overall defense … Missed just eight tackles all season, 10.5 percent missed tackle rate 13thamong G5 defenders … Limited opponents to receptions on 57.7 percent of targets (15-of-26), 14th-best in the G5 and fifth-best among safeties … Had a season-high 11 tackles in Troy's victory over Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Championship Game

Javon Solomon
Named to the All-Sun Belt Third Team … Finished the season with 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries and 44 tackles … One of just 20 edge defenders in the Sun Belt to play 500-plus snaps; finished the year with 575 total snaps … Ranked third among those 20 players per Pro Football Focus in pressuring the quarterback … Recorded a tackle for loss in three of Troy's final four games of the season

Preseason Coaches Poll

West Division
1. Troy – 92 Points (10)
2. South Alabama – 85 Points (4)
3. Louisiana – 64 Points
4. Southern Miss – 62 Points
5. Texas State – 36 Points
6. Arkansas State – 33 Points
7. ULM – 20 Points

East Division
1. James Madison – 78 Points (4)
2. App State – 75 Points (4)
3. Coastal Carolina – 71 Points (3)
4. Marshall – 68 Points (2)
5. Georgia Southern – 52 Points (1)
6. Georgia State – 31 Points
7. Old Dominion – 17 Points

Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference Teams

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., QB – Indian Trail, N.C.)

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Offense
QB – Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., QB – Indian Trail, N.C.)
RB – La'Damian Webb, South Alabama (Sr., RB – Opelika, Ala.)
RB – Frank Gore Jr., Southern Miss (Jr., RB – Miami, Fla.)
OL – Isaiah Helms, App State (Sr., OL – Hudson, N.C.)
OL – Khalil Crowder, Georgia Southern (6th Yr., OL – Carrollton, Ga.)
OL – Travis Glover, Georgia State (RS Sr., OL – Vienna, Ga.)
OL – Nick Kidwell, James Madison (RS Sr., OL – Knoxville, Md.)
OL – Logan Osburn, Marshall (RS Jr., OL – Ona, W.Va.)
TE – Neal Johnson, Louisiana (Sr., TE – Mesquite, Texas)
WR – Jared Brown, Coastal Carolina (RS So., WR – Lilburn, Ga.)
WR – Sam Pinckney, Coastal Carolina (Super Sr., WR – Greenwood, S.C.)
WR – Khaleb Hood, Georgia Southern (5th Yr., WR – McDonough, Ga.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Defense
DL – James Carpenter, James Madison (RS Jr., DL – Roanoke, Va.)
DL – Owen Porter, Marshall (RS Sr., DL – Huntington, W.Va.)
DL – TJ Jackson, Troy (Jr., DL – Millbrook, Ala.)
DL – Richard Jibunor, Troy (Sr., DL – Delta State, Nigeria)
LB – JT Killen, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., LB – Lake Wylie, S.C.)
LB – Marques Watson-Trent, Georgia Southern (RS Jr., LB – Beaver Falls, Pa.)
LB – Eli Neal, Marshall (Sr., LB – Memphis, Tenn.)
LB – Jason Henderson, Old Dominion (Jr., LB – Dingmans Ferry, Pa.)
DB – Micah Abraham, Marshall (RS Sr., DB – Tampa, Fla.)
DB – Yam Banks, South Alabama (Jr., DB – Ridgeland, Miss.)
DB – Jay Stanley, Southern Miss (Sr., DB – Greenwood, Miss.)
DB – Reddy Steward, Troy (Sr., DB – Decatur, Ala.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Special Teams
K – Dominic Zvada, Arkansas State (So., K – Chandler, Ariz.)
P – Ryan Hanson, James Madison (RS Jr., P – Elgin, Texas)
RS – Milan Tucker, App State (RS Jr., RS – Lehigh Acres, Fla.)
AP – Frank Gore Jr., Southern Miss (Jr., AP – Miami, Fla.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense
QB – Carter Bradley, South Alabama (Sr., QB – Jacksonville, Fla.)
RB – Rasheen Ali, Marshall (RS So., RB – Cleveland, Ohio)
RB – Kimani Vidal, Troy (Jr., RB – Marietta, Ga.)
OL – Damion Daley, App State (RS Sr., OL – Columbia, S.C.)
OL – Will McDonald, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr., OL – Matthews, N.C.)
OL – AJ Gillie, Louisiana (RS Jr., OL – Natchitoches, La.)
OL – Ethan Driskell, Marshall (RS Jr., OL – Louisville, Ky.)
OL – Daniel King, Troy (Jr., OL – Cairo, Ga.)
TE – Jjay Mcafee, Georgia Southern (6th Yr., TE – Charleston, S.C.)
WR – Tyrone Howell, ULM (6th Yr., WR – Idabel, Okla.)
WR – Caullin Lacy, South Alabama (Jr., WR – Mobile, Ala.)
WR – Devin Voisin, South Alabama (Sr., WR – Crestview, Fla.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense
DL – Javon Denis, Georgia State (RS Sr., DL – Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
DL – Wy'Kevious Thomas, South Alabama (RS Jr., DL – Riverdale, Ga.)
DL – Jalen Williams, Southern Miss (Sr., DL – Tylertown, Miss.)
DL – Jordan Revels, Texas State (Sr., DL – Houston, Texas)
DL – Javon Solomon, Troy (Jr., DL – Tallahassee, Fla.)
LB – Jontrey Hunter, Georgia State (RS Sr., LB – Tampa, Fla.)
LB – Jordan Veneziale, Georgia State (Sr., LB – Dallas, Ga.)
LB – Taurus Jones, James Madison (RS Jr., LB – Portsmouth, Va.)
DB – Bryquice Brown, Georgia State (RS Sr., DB – Dorchester, Mass.)
DB – Keith Gallmon Jr., South Alabama (RS Sr., DB – Mobile, Ala.)
DB – Jaden Voisin, South Alabama (RS Jr., DB – Crestview, Fla.)
DB – Dell Pettus, Troy (Sr., DB – Harvest, Ala.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Special Teams
K – Diego Guajardo, South Alabama (Sr., K – Spanish Fort, Ala.)
P – Ethan Duane, Old Dominion (Jr., P – Melbourne, Australia)
RS – Matthew McDoom, Coastal Carolina (So., RS – Winter Garden, Fla.)
AP – Kimani Vidal, Troy (Jr., AP – Marietta, Ga.)

Troy University Athletics

Troy Picked to Win SBC West, Seven Trojans Named All-Sun Belt

Players Mentioned

T.J. Jackson

Richard Jibunor

Daniel King

Dell Pettus

Javon Solomon

Reddy Steward

Kimani Vidal

Related Videos