Kinne, Spears, Jones to Represent Bobcats at 2023 Sun Belt Media Days

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State will be represented by head coach GJ Kinne and players Tory Spears and Nash Jones at the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days in New Orleans on July 25, the conference office announced on Tuesday. Kinne, in his first year leading the Bobcats, along with returner Spears and newcomer Jones will be among the other five schools and their representatives from the Sun Belt West Division taking part in the first day of the two-day event. A Sun Belt Honorable Mention last year, Spears is one of the key returners for Texas State from last year's defense that ranked as one of the best in the program's FBS history. The redshirt senior safety played in 10 games (9 starts) in 2022 and had a career-high 77 tackles as well as 2.5 TFLs, an interception, and three pass breakups. Entering 2023, Spears has been named preseason All-Sun Belt by Phil Steele (fourth team) and Athlon Sports (third team). He was also slated to the preseason All-Texas Second Team by Dave Campbell's. Jones, one of the 50+ newcomers on Texas State's 2023 roster, was the starting left tackle last season for Kinne at UIW. He helped the Cardinals reach the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs, capture the Southland Conference championship, and post the nation's top-scoring offense in all of NCAA Division I. In his UIW career, he was a three-time All-Southland selection and 2021 HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American. From Nacogdoches, Texas, Jones has earned preseason All-Sun Belt honors from Phil Steele (fourth team) and Athlon Sports (fourth team) entering the 2023 campaign. For the third straight year, the Sun Belt Football Media Days will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in downtown New Orleans, La., and will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+. A complete broadcast schedule will be released no later than July 21. Sun Belt East Division programs—App State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall and Old Dominion—will appear on Wednesday, July 26.