Seven Mississippi natives were included as part of the 2024 Sun Belt All-Conference football teams, with the honors being released on Thursday.
Leading the way was Louisiana Monroe running back and Monticello native Ahmad Hardy, who was named Freshman of the Year. Hardy, now planning to enter the transfer portal, finished with just under 1,500 total yards with 13 touchdowns and helped the Warhawk offense see success it hasn’t in years. Hardy also notched one of two running back sports on the conference’s first-team offense.
Joining Hardy on the first team was Southern Miss punter and Sandhill native Bryce Lofton. Lofton finished his senior campaign with a Sun Belt-leading 17 50-plus yard boots and was second with a 44.5-yard average across 61 total punts.
Other Mississippians to land conference honors were Arkansas State wide receiver Corey Rucker (second team), Louisiana defensive end Jordan Lawson (second team), Louisiana defensive lineman Kevontay Wells (second team), South Alabama offensive lineman Reed Buys (honorable mention), and Southern Miss running back Rodrigues “Dreke” Clark (honorable mention).
Rucker, a junior from Bentonia, led the Red Wolves with 65 receptions for 946 yards with 5 touchdowns. Lawson, a junior from Brandon, had 5.5 sacks for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Wells, a junior from Jackson, had 3 sacks for the Warhawks. Buys, a senior from Vicksburg, was part of an offensive line that helped the Jaguars orchestrate over 5,200 total yards across 12 regular-season games.
Clark, a senior from Starkville who transferred to Southern Miss from Memphis two offseasons ago, led the team in rushing with 604 yards over 124 carries (4.9-yard average). He also had one touchdown, which came against Southeastern Louisiana in the team’s lone win of the year.
Four other non-Mississippi natives from Southern Miss also received honorable mention nods. Senior defensive end Kristin Booth (10 tackles, 2 sacks), senior defensive lineman Brodarius Lewis (39 tackles, 4 sacks), and senior linebacker Tre Pinkney (74 tackles).
The full list of Sun Belt All-Conference selections can be found here.