FRISCO, Texas — Southeastern running back Chad Elzy Jr., McNeese linebacker Landon Barrett and Lamar defensive back Caleb Holmes have earned the Southland Conference's weekly football awards, the conference office announced Monday morning. All three players are first-time winners this season. 

Offensive Player of the Week: Chad Elzy Jr., Southeastern – RB – So. – Belle Rose, La. (Ascension Catholic High School) 
Elzy rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns in Southeastern's 52-21 road win at Northwestern State, lifting the Lions to their third win in a row and their first win of the conference season. He and teammate Deantre Jackson (104 yards) became the first Lions to rush for 100 yards in the same game since 2017. 

Defensive Player of the Week: Landon Barrett, McNeese – LB – 5th – Tallahassee, Fla. (FAMU DRS)
Barrett nabbed his first career interception late in the third quarter against East Texas A&M, which led to a McNeese touchdown that pushed the lead at the time to 27-10, a margin the Lions proved unable to overcome. He also recorded a season-high 11 tackles on the night, with six of those being solos.
  Special Teams Player of the Week: Caleb Holmes, Lamar – DB – So. – DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto High School)
Holmes had a momentum-shifting play in the first quarter, returning a kickoff for an 86-yard touchdown immediately following a Nicholls score — the first of his Lamar career. That moment contributed to a 42-point first half that slammed the door on a major road victory to start conference play. He also returned two punts for 14 yards.

2026 Southland Football Players of the Week

Date	Offensive	Defensive	Special Teams
Aug. 31	Cutter Stewart, HCU	Jayven Anderson, HCU	Lukasz Smolen, HCU
Sept. 7	Devin Lippold, McNeese	Lowote Jurkin, SFA	Carlos Alvarado, SFA
Sept. 14	Jackson Dufrene, Nicholls	Kennon Loftin, Nicholls	Andres Sandoval, Lamar
Sept. 21	Aiden Jakobsohn, UTRGV	Jaiden Haygood, UTRGV	Dkhai Joseph, Southeastern
Sept. 28	Chad Elzy Jr., Southeastern	Landon Barrett, McNeese	Caleb Holmes, Lamar