2024 Sun Belt Conference Preview: Sleepers, Busts and All-Conference Teams

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Published on August 5, 2024

While the Sun Belt has been left out of the conference realignment craze of 2024, it's still dealing with plenty of turnover. Five of the 14 teams will be under the direction of a new head coach, and some of the Sun Belt's most recognizable names have moved on to the NFL or transferred to other schools. Still, there's plenty of fantasy value to be had in the Sun Belt conference, you just need to know where to look.

2024 College Football Fantasy Draft Kit

Sun Belt All-Conference Fantasy Teams

First-Team All-Sun Belt (Overall position rank)

QB: Jordan McCloud, Texas State (5)

RB: Ismail Mahdi, Texas State (11)

RB: Jalen White, Georgia Southern (41)

WR: Joey Hobert, Texas State (11)

WR: Jamaal Pritchett, South Alabama (18)

TE: Eli Wilson, Appalachian State (40)

Second-Team All-Sun Belt

QB: Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State (21)

RB: Kanye Roberts, Appalachian State (48)

RB: Braylon McReynolds, South Alabama (61)

WR: Derwin Burgess, Georgia Southern (31)

WR: Kaedin Robinson, Appalachian State (34)

TE: Terrance Carter, Louisiana-Lafayette

Third-Team All-Sun Belt

QB: Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State (26)

RB: Ayo Adeyi, James Madison (66)

RB: Rodrigues Clark, Southern Miss (77)

WR: Kole Wilson, Texas State (38)

WR: Dalen Cobb, Georgia Southern (67)

TE: Kendall Karr, Coastal Carolina

2024 Sun Belt Fantasy Sleepers

QB: Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina

Selecting Vasko in fantasy drafts comes with plenty of risk, as he'll be competing with Michigan State transfer Noah Kim for starting duties, but Vasko showed well enough in 2023 to have a slight advantage entering camp. For the last few years, Grayson McCall showed the fantasy upside the Chanticleers' starting QB has, and as a sophomore, Vasko showed flashes of that value. He started four of the team's final five games after McCall suffered a head injury and went 75-for-120 (63%) for 778 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception while adding 286 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. If Vasko winds up under center for the Chanticleers in 2024, he could make plenty of noise in fantasy.

RB: Hunter Smith, Louisiana-Monroe

The Sun Belt has churned out elite fantasy tailbacks the last few years, but are uncharacteristically weak at the position in 2024. Rasheen Ali, Nate Noel, Marcus Carroll and Kimani Vidal are no longer in the conference, leaving plenty of room for others to climb the fantasy rankings. While Smith isn't a replacement for one of the aforementioned backs, a coaching change in Monroe could lead to a significant increase in volume. The Warhawks used a committee approach on the ground last season, but Smith led the group in rushing yards (507) and rushing touchdowns (5) while posting 5.4 yards per carry. The committee philosophy isn't something new head coach Bryant Vincent has utilized recently. As New Mexico's offensive coordinator in 2023, Vincent's lead back carried the ball 189 times for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns. As the interim head coach for UAB in 2022, Vincent supplied two of Conference USA's top three rushers, with the pair combining for 399 carries, 2,661 yards and 27 touchdowns. While Smith shouldn't be penciled into that large of a workload in 2024 -- and he'll still have to beat out Bennett Galloway for touches -- Smith possesses a solid floor and a massive ceiling.

RB: Ayo Adeyi, James Madison

JMU Head Coach Curt Cignetti left for Indiana this offseason, and most of the team's key pieces followed Cignetti or hit the portal. JMU brought in accomplished FCS coach Bob Chesney of Holy Cross as a replacement. Chesney has housed a dominant run game the past few years and has supported a 1,000-yard rusher in three of the last four seasons. Adeyi has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in a season, running for 1,017 yards and six touchdowns last year for North Texas. He's also averaged more than seven yards per carry in back-to-back seasons. The senior transfer should immediately step into a workhorse role, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Adeyi near or at the top of the conference in rushing yards, especially considering the lack of true No. 1 tailbacks in the Sun Belt in 2024.

WR: Isiah Paige, Old Dominion

Paige quietly assumed lead WR duties down the stretch last season, commanding seven or more targets in five of his final seven games. Despite catching 14 more passes than any other Monarch receiver, he ranked third in receiving yards, and ODU's top wideout finished with merely 502 yards. Still, there are plenty of reasons for Paige to break out in 2024. Three of the team's top five wideouts from 2023 have exited the program, which should result in a more condensed passing attack. Starting QB Grant Wilson is returning, and there's been ample turnover in the running back room, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Monarchs pivot to a more pass-heavy approach.

WR: Corey Rucker, Arkansas State

I expect the Red Wolves' offense to take a massive step forward in 2024 and Rucker could be a massive beneficiary. Jaylen Raynor was excellent as a true freshman, and the team returns its top two rushers and receivers. Rucker led the team in receiving yards (705) and fell three receptions short of Courtney Jackson for the team lead. However, Rucker only scored twice while Jackson found the end zone seven times, allowing for Rucker to go overlooked heading into 2024. Rucker took a one-year pitstop at South Carolina in 2022 between stints with Arkansas State, and he was the Red Wolves' go-to wideout in 2021. Commanding 107 targets, Rucker compiled 826 yards and nine touchdowns. Even as a freshman, Rucker found paydirt five times. If Raynor takes the leap that many expect him to and Rucker has better touchdown luck, he could quickly become one of the Sun Belt's top fantasy pass-catchers.

2024 Sun Belt Fantasy Busts

QB: Tate Rodemaker, Southern Miss

By himself, Rodemaker is an impressive player. The former four-star recruit spent the last four seasons as a backup at Florida State and held his own late in 2023 after starting QB Jordan Travis went down. Rodemaker started against Northern Alabama and Florida, combining to go 15-for-48 with 351 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. In fact, he didn't throw an interception in any of his 56 attempts last season. However, there are plenty of red flags. The Golden Eagles handed the ball off over 30 times per game in 2023 and surrendered 33 sacks while averaging the third-fewest points per game in the Sun Belt. Rodemaker is talented enough to turn Southern Miss around, but a lack of talent around him and a potential run-heavy attack severely limits his upside.

QB: Dylan Morris, James Madison

Another power conference backup QB jumping ship to the Sun Belt, Morris will lead a Dukes program that looks drastically different than it did a year ago. With so many new pieces on the coaching staff and offensive skill positions, it's hard to imagine James Madison picking up where they left off last season as one of the best non-power conference programs in the country. Additionally, there are legitimate question marks to Morris' game. He has a career TD:INT of 20:17 in four years at Washington, who went 4-8 in 2021 during Morris' lone season as a starter. As a whole, James Madison's passing game has too many unknowns.

RB: Jordan Houston, Marshall

Marshall lost its offensive engine during the offseason with Rasheen Ali moving on to the professional ranks. After four seasons with NC State, Houston joined the Thundering Herd in hopes of landing a lead role. He'll have to compete with incumbent backup Ethan Payne for touches, and considering Houston is a career 3.9 yards per carry player, he shouldn't be penciled in for a workhorse role. Ali commanded a monstrous workload last season and Marshall is expected to remain a run-heavy team, but it's possible Houston and Payne split carries or Payne wins the job outright.

RB: Ja'Quez Cross, Arkansas State

Talent isn't the issue with Cross, who averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season, and his skill set is utilized frequently in the passing game and as a kick returner. Instead, Cross' fantasy value relies upon how many carries he receives. The Red Wolves were content to use a near 50-50 timeshare between Cross and Zak Wallace, with Cross outcarrying Wallace 128 to 126 in 2023. Though Cross caught 18 more passes, it's likely the pair split time once again this season. Arkansas State returns freshman standout Jaylen Raynor at quarterback, who is a dual-threat player and could command more work in Year 2. If Cross ends up seeing 15 or more carries a game, he'll fly up the fantasy ranks, but that idea seems unrealistic this season. In the one game that Wallace missed last year, Cross only rushed 11 times, so an injury may not even open up a path to fantasy excellence for Cross.

WR: Derwin Burgess, Georgia Southern

Burgess operated as the Eagles' No. 2 wideout a season ago and is slated to enter a lead role with Khaleb Hood out of eligibility. The Georgia Southern offense was a fantasy goldmine in 2023, with quarterback Davis Brin -- who also graduated -- attempting the most passes in the nation (552). Yet, selecting Burgess in fantasy isn't quite a no-brainer. Sophomore J.C. French and senior Indiana transfer Dexter Williams figure to compete for the starting QB job, but neither profile as the pocket passer Brin was. In four career games, Williams has 19 more passing yards than rushing yards. French also flashed some rushing chops as a backup last season. Regardless of who ends up as QB1, Georgia Southern shouldn't be expected to attempt nearly as many passes in 2024. Additionally, the team made a splash in the transfer portal, adding former four-star recruit and Oklahoma transfer LV Bunkley-Shelton. With Bunkley-Shelton and returning junior wideout Dalen Cobb on the roster and some question marks at the quarterback position, Burgess could disappoint those who expect him to match Hood's 2023 production.