Sun Belt football alums to compete in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Published 5:55 pm Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
For the third-straight Saturday, Sun Belt football alumni will feature in a national collegiate all-star game.
Ten alums will compete in the 11th-annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 28. The game will be nationally televised on NFL Network.
All 10 representatives were All-Sun Belt honorees from 2022, headlined by Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year James Madison graduate student quarterback Todd Centeio.
The group includes two All-Sun Belt First Team picks—App State redshirt junior offensive lineman Cooper Hodges and Troy senior offensive lineman Austin Stidham; three All-Sun Belt Second Team selections—App State redshirt senior defensive back Steven Jones Jr., Georgia State senior defensive back Quavian White and Centeio; three All-Sun Belt Third Team honorees—Arkansas State redshirt senior linebacker Kivon Bennett, South Alabama senior offensive lineman James Jackson and Southern Miss senior wide receiver Jason Brownlee; and two All-Sun Belt Honorable Mentions—Louisiana redshirt senior tight end Johnny Lumpkin and redshirt junior running back Chris Smith.
Sun Belt standouts will also feature in the upcoming East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday, Feb. 2, and the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 4. Complete rosters have yet to be announced for these events.
The Sun Belt has produced at least one selection in 15-straight NFL Drafts and has claimed multiple picks in 19-of-21 since it began sponsoring football in 2001. The Sun Belt has produced six-or-more draft picks four times in conference history, including two of the past three seasons (2010, 2012, 2020 & 2022).
Five of last year’s six draft picks appeared in multiple NFL games during the 2022-23 regular seasons, with the lone exception being App State alum D’Marco Jackson—who spent the entire season on the injured reserve.
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Cooper Hodges, App State (RS Jr., OL – Glen St. Mary, Fla.)
Steven Jones Jr., App State (RS Sr., DB – Rockingham, N.C.)
Kivon Bennett, Arkansas State (RS Sr., LB – Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Quavian White, Georgia State (Sr., DB – Greer, S.C.)
Todd Centeio, James Madison (Gr., QB – West Palm Beach, Fla.)
Johnny Lumpkin, Louisiana (RS Sr., TE – Atlanta, Ga.)
Chris Smith, Louisiana (RS Jr., RB – Louisville, Miss.)
James Jackson, South Alabama (Sr., OL – Moss Point, Miss.)
Jason Brownlee, Southern Miss (Sr., WR – West Point, Miss.)
Austin Stidham, Troy (Sr., OL – Russellville, Ala.)
For exclusive Sun Belt football content on game days and throughout the year, follow @SunBeltFB on Twitter.
Follow the Sun Belt on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Inst