NEW ORLEANS – Highlighted by three first-team selections, the University of South Alabama football program had four individuals recognized on the 2015 preseason all-Sun Belt Conference squads released by the league office Monday.

A pair of offensive linemen, Chris May and Joseph Scelfo, were joined by placekicker Aleem Sunanon on the first-team, with safety Roman Buchanan voted second-team preseason all-SBC.

May, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound senior from Tuscumbia, Ala., has picked up all-league accolades each of the last two years; after being chosen first-team all-Sun Belt in 2013 he was an honorable mention selection a year ago.  Last season he graded out at 80 percent or higher on six occasions and finished with a total of 33 knockdown blocks.  May received a season-high grade of 85 percent following the Jaguars' contest at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl against Bowling Green, while he recorded an 84 percent mark and posted a season-best 11 of USA's 18 pancake blocks in a November victory over Texas State that helped make the program eligible to compete in a postseason bowl.

Also chosen to preseason watch lists for both the Rimington Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award, Scelfo is coming off a campaign during which he received a grade of 80 percent or better six times while collecting 20 knockdown blocks.  The Bogart, Ga., native was presented the coaches' offensive line award in 2014 after Jag wins over Idaho and Troy — posting a season-best 88 percent mark against the latter after USA rushed for 296 yards — while also grading out at 87 percent against Bowling Green at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.  A 6-foot-1, 295-pound junior, Scelfo earned the highest grade on the team in both outings against Southeastern Conference schools as well, recording marks of 83 and 81 percent, respectively, in match-ups with South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Sunanon — who hails from Orlando, Fla. — was 15-of-18 on field-goal attempts while pacing the Jaguars with 69 points last year, and he made 18-of-23 tries the previous fall to record a team-best 91 points and be named honorable mention all-SBC.  He converted on his last eight field goals, including a school game-record-tying four at USC, to end the season tied for the league lead and 12th nationally with an 83.3 percent success rate, and he also was third in the conference with 1.15 field goals per game.  The 5-foot-7, 170-pound junior led the Sun Belt and was among the top 20 in the country in 2013 with 1.50 field goals per outing, standing second in the league in points per contest among all players.

Last year, his first as a full-time starter, Buchanan ended up third on the USA defense with 74 total tackles as well as tied for second with seven passes defensed.  A 6-foot-2, 210-pound Enterprise, Ala., resident, he collected a career-high nine stops on three occasions a year ago, including each of the Jaguars' last two outings against Navy and Bowling Green at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl; that included recording three tackles for loss in those contests — with a pair coming against the Midshipmen — and a pass broken up against the Falcons.  The junior first was credited with nine stops, also forcing a fumble and breaking up a pass, in a win over Georgia State, and he posted seven tackles and a pass defensed in the Jags' victory at Appalachian State.

The Jaguars — picked to finish sixth in the league's preseason poll released Friday — will begin the 2015 season against Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Sept. 5.  The contest will kick off at 5 p.m. (CDT) and be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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