2017 Sun Belt Conference football season
Sports season
The 2017 Sun Belt conference football season began on August 31, 2017 and ended on December 2, 2017. It was part of the 2017 season of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the top level of NCAA Division I football.
Season
This was the first season for Coastal Carolina, which was in its second and final transitional season from the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to FBS. This was also the final season for both Idaho and New Mexico State as associate members of the conference; New Mexico State will remain in the FBS as an independent program, while Idaho will move down to the FCS level in its main conference, the Big Sky Conference .
Records against FBS conferences
Power Five conferences and independents
Group of Five conferences
FCS Subdivision
Postseason
Awards and honors
Individual awards
Player of the Year : Ja'Von Rolland-Jones , Sr., DL, Arkansas State
Offensive Player of the Year : Justice Hansen , Jr., QB, Arkansas State
Defensive Player of the Year : Jeremy Reaves , Sr., DB, South Alabama
Freshman of the Year : Marcus Jones , DB/KR, Troy
Newcomer of the Year : Ron LaForce, Jr., DB, New Mexico State
Coach of the Year : Neal Brown , Troy
All-Conference teams
Offense:
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
QB
Justice Hansen
Jr.
Arkansas State
QB
Taylor Lamb
Sr.
Appalachian State
QB
Tyler Rogers
R-Sr.
New Mexico State
RB
Jalin Moore
Jr.
Appalachian State
RB
Larry Rose III
Sr.
New Mexico State
RB
Osharmar Abercrombie
Sr.
Coastal Carolina
RB
Aaron Duckworth
Jr.
Idaho
RB
Jordan Chunn
Sr.
Troy
RB
Trey Ragas
R-Fr.
Louisiana
WR
Ike Lewis
Sr.
Appalachian State
WR
Chris Murray
Sr.
Arkansas State
WR
Justin McInnis
Jr.
Arkansas State
WR
Penny Hart
R-So.
Georgia State
WR
Jamarius Way
Jr.
South Alabama
WR
Malcolm Williams
Jr.
Coastal Carolina
WR
Jaleel Scott
R-Sr.
New Mexico State
WR
Deondre Douglas
Jr.
Troy
WR
RJ Turner
So.
Louisiana–Monroe
TE
Blake Mack
Sr.
Appalachian State
TE
Gabe Schrade
Sr.
Texas State
TE
Chase Rogers
Fr.
Louisiana
OL
Colby Gossett
Sr.
Arkansas State
OL
Noah Johnson
So.
Idaho
OL
Jaypee Philbert
Sr.
Arkansas State
OL
Beau Nunn
Sr.
Appalachian State
OL
Kevin Dotson
So.
Louisiana
OL
Grant Horst
Sr.
Louisiana
OL
Victor Johnson
So.
Appalachian State
OL
Noah Fisher
Jr.
South Alabama
OL
Frank Sutton
Sr.
Louisiana–Monroe
OL
Lanard Bonner
R-Jr.
Arkansas State
OL
Deontae Crumitie
Jr.
Troy
OL
Aaron Brewer
So.
Texas State
OL
Steven Rowzee
Sr.
Troy
OL
Tristan Crowder
So.
Troy
OL
Kirk Kelley
So.
Troy
Defense:
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
DL
Tee Sims
Sr.
Appalachian State
DL
Ronheen Bingham
Jr.
Arkansas State
DL
Caleb Fuller
Sr.
Appalachian State
DL
Ja'Von Rolland-Jones
R-Sr.
Arkansas State
DL
Logan Hunt
Jr.
Georgia Southern
DL
Caleb Caston
Sr.
Arkansas State
DL
Aikeem Coleman
Sr.
Idaho
DL
Jamal Stadom
Sr.
Troy
DL
Marterious Allen
Jr.
Georgia State
DL
Cedric Wilcots II
R-So.
New Mexico State
DL
Trevon Sanders
Jr.
Troy
DL
Joe Dillon
So.
Louisiana
DL
Hunter Reese
Jr.
Troy
LB
Kyle Wilson
Sr.
Arkansas State
LB
Devan Stringer
Sr.
Appalachian State
LB
Eric Boggs
Sr.
Appalachian State
LB
Shane Johnson
Sr.
Coastal Carolina
LB
Michael Shaw
R-Jr.
Georgia State
LB
Tony Lashley
Jr.
Idaho
LB
Kaden Elliss
Jr.
Idaho
LB
Frankie Griffin
Jr.
Texas State
LB
Dalton Herrington
Sr.
New Mexico State
LB
Tron Folsom
So.
Troy
DB
A.J. Howard
Sr.
Appalachian State
DB
Clifton Duck
So.
Appalachian State
DB
Tae Hayes
Jr.
Appalachian State
DB
Chandon Sullivan
Sr.
Georgia State
DB
Blaise Taylor
Sr.
Arkansas State
DB
Justin Clifton
Jr.
Arkansas State
DB
Tracy Walker
Sr.
Louisiana
DB
Jeremy Reaves
Sr.
South Alabama
DB
Monquavion Brinson
So.
Georgia Southern
DB
Shamad Lomax
So.
New Mexico State
DB
Blace Brown
Jr.
Troy
DB
Ron LaForce
Jr.
New Mexico State
DB
Cedarius Rookard
Jr.
Troy
Special Teams:
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
Pos.
Name
Yr.
School
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
PK
Gavin Patterson
Jr.
South Alabama
PK
Tyler Bass
R-So.
Georgia Southern
PK
Sawyer Williams
R-So.
Arkansas State
P
Corliss Waitman
Jr.
South Alabama
P
Cade Coffey
R-Fr.
Idaho
P
Cody Grace
R-So.
Arkansas State
RS
Marcus Green
Jr.
Louisiana–Monroe
RS
Marcus Jones
Fr.
Troy
RS
Blaise Taylor
Sr.
Arkansas State
AP
Marcus Green
Jr.
Louisiana–Monroe
AP
Marcus Jones
Fr.
Troy
AP
Glenn Smith
Sr.
Georgia State
Ref: [ 1]
Home attendance
Team
Stadium
Capacity
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
Game 6
Total
Average
% of Capacity
Appalachian State
Kidd Brewer Stadium
30,000
20,109
35,126 †
22,787
30,179
23,110
23,411
154,722
25,787
85.96%
Arkansas State
Centennial Bank Stadium
30,382
24,371
25,916†
21,943
19,846
27,462
119,538
23,908
78.69%
Coastal Carolina
Brooks Stadium
15,000
13,274
14,996
15,991 †
13,997
15,545
15,951
89,754
14,959
99.73%
Georgia State
Georgia State Stadium
24,333
24,333†
15,388
12,125
13,154
14,163
79,163
15,833
65.07%
Georgia Southern
Paulson Stadium
25,000
13,781
16,278
18,722†
12,250
61,031
15,258
61.03%
Idaho
Kibbie Dome
16,000
10,526
10,156
14,198†
10,168
10,705
7,444
63,197
10,533
65.83%
Louisiana
Cajun Field
36,900
18,289
18,318†
13,106
16,058
12,993
78,764
15,753
42.69%
Louisiana–Monroe
Malone Stadium
30,427
11,061
10,359
12,578†
7,397
8,245
49,640
9,928
32.63%
New Mexico State
Aggie Memorial Stadium
30,343
15,446
17,546
10,041
21,894
26,286†
91,213
18,243
60.12%
South Alabama
Ladd–Peebles Stadium
33,471
26,487†
18,103
12,603
16,495
12,742
17,640
104,070
17,345
51.82%
Texas State
Bobcat Stadium
30,000
15,560
19,520
31,333 †
12,238
12,012
14,017
104,680
17,447
58.16%
Troy
Veterans Memorial Stadium
30,402
29,278†
27,324
25,211
23,846
20,341
20,737
146,737
24,456
80.44%
Bold : Exceeded capacity
†Season High
References
East Division West Division Championships & awards Seasons
Conference seasons Inter-conference All-Americans