These four Georgia Southern players received Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference honors

Four Georgia Southern football players were selected to the Preseason Sun Belt Conference second team on Monday, while the Eagles were predicted to finish fifth in the East Division.

Georgia Southern was shut out from the first team in a vote of league coaches and selected media members.

The conference's annual Football Media Days in New Orleans are extended to two days — Tuesday and Wednesday — this year with the league's expansion to 14 football programs. Eagles new head coach Clay Helton, new transfer quarterback Kyle Vantrease and returning defensive end Dillon Springer will have opportunities to address the voting on Tuesday when GS meets the media at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

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The quartet of veteran Eagles selected to the second team are sixth-year defensive end Justin Ellis (6-foot-2, 255 pounds), redshirt junior cornerback Derrick Canteen (5-11, 190), fifth-year all-purpose player Amare Jones (5-11, 195) and redshirt senior punter Anthony Beck II (6-4, 230), a graduate of South Effingham High School from Guyton.

Canteen, who was a Freshman All-American and All-Sun Belt first-team selection in 2020, was injured (torn pectoral muscle) in the second game of the 2021 slate and missed the rest of the season.

Last season, Jones was on Pro Football Network's All-SBC first team as a flex option on offense. He had transferred to GS from Tulane as a running back, receiver and kick returner, and added quarterback to his duties in Statesboro.

Ellis was an All-SBC honorable mention pick at the end of the 2021 season. Beck was All-Sun Belt second team in 2021 and third team in 2020.

The Eagles are coming off of a 3-9 campaign, 2-6 in the Sun Belt in 2021. Helton was hired in early November and took charge of the program following the final game. He hired all new position coaches with the exception of assistant head coach/cornerbacks coach Kevin Whitley, who served as interim head coach following the firing of head coach Chad Lunsford after a 1-3 overall start.

The two teams from the 2021 SBC championship game are predicted for a rematch in 2022.

Reigning Sun Belt champion Louisiana defeated Appalachian State 24-16 for the crown last season. The Ragin' Cajuns are picked to capture a fifth consecutive West Division crown with 12 of 14 first-place votes. South Alabama received the other two.

App State received 10 of 14 first-place votes in the East and is the favorite this year, ahead of Coastal Carolina (two first-place votes), Georgia State (one), Marshall (zero), Georgia Southern (one), James Madison (zero) and Old Dominion (zero).

Louisiana was followed in the predicted order of finish by South Alabama, Troy, Texas State, Southern Miss, Arkansas State and ULM.

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Southern Miss, Marshall, James Madison and Old Dominion joined the Sun Belt in time for the 2022-23 academic year. Both football media days will be streamed on ESPN+, with a morning session from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern and an afternoon session from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET each day.

In the most-expected voting result, Coastal Carolina redshirt junior quarterback Grayson McCall repeated as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. McCall is a two-time All-SBC first-team honoree and the conference player of the year in 2020 and 2021, as well as freshman of the year in 2020.

McCall's teammate, sophomore defensive lineman Josaiah Stewart, is the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Stewart was All-SBC first team as a true freshman in 2021.

App State and Georgia State paced all programs with eight Preseason All-Sun Belt selections. All 14 programs were represented by at least one student-athlete across the two Preseason All-SBC teams.

2022 SBC preseason awards

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina (RS Jr., QB)

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina (So., DL)

First Team Offense

QB – Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina

RB – Rasheen Ali, Marshall (RS So.); Camerun Peoples, App State (RS Jr.)

OL – Willie Lampkin, Coastal Carolina (Jr.); Dalton Cooper, Texas State (So.); Austin Stidham, Troy (Sr.); Malik Sumter, Georgia State (RS Sr.); Cooper Hodges, App State (RS Jr.)

TE – Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion (RS Jr.)

WR – Ali Jennings III, Old Dominion (Jr.); Kris Thornton, James Madison (RS Sr.); Tez Johnson, Troy (So.)

First Team Defense

DL – Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina (So.); Javon Solomon, Troy (So.); Zi’Yon Hill-Green, Louisiana (RS Sr..); Will Choloh, Troy (Sr.)

LB – Carlton Martial, Troy (Sr.); Blake Carroll, Georgia State (Sr.); Kivon Bennett, Arkansas State (RS Sr.)

DB – Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama (Sr.); D’Jordan Strong, Coastal Carolina (Super Sr.); Antavious Lane, Georgia State (RS Jr.); Eric Garror, Louisiana (Sr.); Keith Gallmon Jr., South Alabama (Sr.)

First Team Special Teams

K – Seth Keller, Texas State (Jr.)

P – Rhys Byrns, Louisiana (Sr.)

RS – Johnnie Lang, Arkansas State (RS Sr.)

AP – Chris Smith, Louisiana (RS Jr.)

Second Team Offense

QB – Chase Brice, App State (RS Sr.)

RB – Nate Noel, App State (So.); Tucker Gregg, Georgia State (Sr.)

OL – Travis Glover, Georgia State (RS Sr.); Kyle Hergel, Texas State (Jr.); Damion Daley, App State (RS Jr.); Pat Bartlett, Georgia State (RS Sr.); Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion (RS Jr.)

TE – Aubry Payne, Georgia State (RS Sr.)

WR – Te’Vailance Hunt, Arkansas State (Sr.); Jalen Wayne, South Alabama (Sr.); Boogie Knight, ULM (Gr.)

Second Team Defense

DL – Richard Jibunor, Troy (Jr.); Thomas Gore, Georgia State (RS Jr.); Jerrod Clark, Coastal Carolina (RS Sr.); Justin Ellis, Georgia Southern (6th Yr.)

LB – Nick Hampton, App State (RS Jr.); Abraham Beauplan, Marshall (RS Sr.); Andre Jones, Louisiana (RS Sr.); Trey Cobb, App State (Sr.)

DB – Steven Jones Jr., App State (RS Sr.); Derrick Canteen, Georgia Southern (RS Jr.); Steven Gilmore, Marshall (Sr.); TJ Harris, Troy (Sr.)

Second Team Special Teams

K – Calum Sutherland, ULM (6th Yr.)

P – Anthony Beck II, Georgia Southern (RS Sr.)

RS – Camron Harrell, Southern Miss (Sr.)

AP – Amare Jones, Georgia Southern (5th Yr.) 

SBC Preseason Coaches Poll

East Division

1. App State – 94 points (10 first-place votes)

2. Coastal Carolina – 77 points (2)

3. Georgia State – 68 points (1)

4. Marshall – 62 points

5. Georgia Southern – 35 points (1)

6. James Madison – 31 points

7. Old Dominion – 25 points

West Division

1. Louisiana – 95 points (12)

2. South Alabama – 79 points (2)

3. Troy – 76 points

4. Texas State – 41 points

5. Southern Miss – 40 points

6. Arkansas State – 37 points

7. ULM – 24 points

Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern football: Preseason poll out, Eagles players honored