MOBILE, Ala. – Five South Alabama Football players were named to the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Team Tuesday morning for their academic achievement in the classroom and strong play on the field.
 
Offensive lineman Reed Buys, tight end Todd Justice, linebacker Darius McKenzie, punter Aleksi Pulkkinen and tight end Trent Thomas were all recognized for their work on and off the field.
 
To be eligible for the CSC recognition, student-athletes must maintain a 3.5 GPA while competing in 90 percent of their team's games played or starting in at least 66 percent of the team's games.
 
Buys is an interdisciplinary studies major with a 3.61 GPA. He started 10 games for the Jaguars at right guard and appeared in 11 while helping anchor a South Alabama offensive line that was one of the best in the Sun Belt Conference. Justice held a 3.5 GPA while studying exercise science. He appeared in all 13 games for the Jaguars, primarily in a special teams role. McKenzie holds a 3.51 GPA while majoring in interdisciplinary studies. He played in all 13 games and made 72 tackles for the year, including 3.5 for loss.
 
Pulkkinen has a 3.5 GPA while majoring in international studies, and served as USA's punter in 12 of its 13 games. He punted 67 times on the season with an average of 37.2 yards per punt. Thomas is majoring in business administration and has a GPA of 3.58. He served mostly as a blocking tight end during 2024, and caught one pass for five yards in a win at Louisiana.
 
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