Louisiana placed 11 players on the All-Sun Belt teams, including four players on the first team. Yearly awards and conference teams were announced by the league office Thursday.
Rhys Byrns, who is a repeat first-team selection and four-time all-SBC pick, was joined by Zi’Yon Hill-Green, safety Bralen Trahan, and return specialist Eric Garror.
Linebackers Andre Jones and Jourdan Quibodeaux were each named to the second team, with wide receiver Michael Jefferson named to the third team.
Four players were named honorable mention, with Chris Smith, Neal Johnson, Johnny Lumpkin, and Kris Moncrief getting that honor.
Byrns led the Sun Belt and ranks 23rd nationally with an average of 44.3 yards per punt. The Rye, Australia native recorded nine punts of 50 or more yards and placed 11 punts inside the 20. Byrns also had six games where averaged 45+ yards per punt.
Hill-Green registered 42 tackles with 12.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2022. The senior hurried the quarterback nine times, which led the team, as well as tying the school record with 21 career sacks. Hill-Green recorded 249 career tackles, 33 tackles for loss, and 21 sacks in 62 games played.
Trahan, a senior from Lafayette and a product of Acadiana High, ranked second on the team with 73 tackles including a tackle for loss, four interceptions, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. For his career, Trahan has recorded 13 interceptions, which is second among active FBS players and fourth in school history. His four INTs in 2022 rank 16th nationally.
Garror, named a PFF All-American this week, was one of the top return specialists in the country, with his 14.2 yards per return ranking third in the country and is one of four players to return two punts for touchdowns. Garror, the all-time leader in punt returns (93) and yard (778), returned 24 punts for 356 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.
Jones moved to linebacker after earning conference honors on the defensive line last year and posted a team-high 7.5 sacks this season. Quibodeaux, a former walk-on, eclipsed the 100-tackle plateau, becoming the first Cajun since 2019 to accomplish the feat.
Jefferson caught a team-high 51 passes for 810 yards and seven touchdowns. Against Southern Miss, he caught six passes for 179 yards, ranking ninth in school history. He also had a touchdown in the contest.
Louisiana, which is bowl-eligible for the school-record fifth straight year, will find out its postseason fate when bowl pairings get announced on Sunday.