NEW ORLEANS – Senior linebacker Riley Cole and junior wide receiver Jalen Tolbert — both announced as first-team selections Monday morning by the league office — led a contingent of 10 members from the University of South Alabama football program who earned all-Sun Belt Conference recognition in 2020.

In addition to Cole and Tolbert, Kawaan Baker picked up second-team honors, while Jeremiah Littles, Keith Gallmon and Diego Guajardo earned third-team accolades. South also had four members of the program named honorable mention all-conference with the group including Brandon Crum, Carlos Davis, Gi'Narious Johnson and Nick Mobley.

Cole ranked second in the SBC and is among the top 35 in the country in tackles per game (9.6), while he led the team in tackles for loss and was tied for second in sacks as well. The 6-foot-3 linebacker from Oneonta, Ala., was credited with 10-plus tackles in five of his 11 games this fall, highlighted by a career-high 15 both in a win over Texas State and at No. 15 Coastal Carolina.

Tolbert is one of two 1,000-yard receivers in the Sun Belt and one of nine in the nation this fall. The Mobile, Ala., native ranks among the top 25 in the country in catches (5.8) and top 40 in receiving yards per game (98.6), while standing second in the league in both categories after becoming the first 1,000-yard receiver in school history.

The all-conference honor marks the third straight for Baker, but is the first second-team accolade for the wideout who is among the top six in the Sun Belt in catches (4.6) and receiving yards per game (59.9). He tied the school season record for TD receptions (8) while also setting career highs in total catches (51) and receiving yards (659).

On the third-team list, Littles led South with three sacks and was second on the team with 5½ tackles for loss despite missing two games in the fall as he paced all Jaguar defensive linemen with 32 total stops. Gallmon is the only player in the Sun Belt to rank in the top 10 in both tackles and passes defensed per game after finishing with 84 and 11 — both career-high totals — respectively. He also ranked seventh overall in the league in stops per contest. Guajardo ranks third in the Sun Belt and among the top 45 nationally in field goals per game and is tied for second in the league in total field goals as he was the only player in the conference to make two 50-plus yard field goals this season.

In his second season with the program, Crum saw action in 10 games this past season and had nine receptions for 81 yards while recording the lone touchdown reception by a tight end. Davis ranks seventh in the league and is among the top 100 in the country in rushing yards per game, while his 674 total rushing yards were eighth on the school's season record list. In his second year with the program, Johnson finished with 23 total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a pass break up while competing in all 11 games in the fall. Mobley ranks third in the Sun Belt and among the top 60 in the country in tackles per game after leading South in stops a team-high six times during the season while posting 10-plus tackles on three different occasions.

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