DALLAS – A quartet of FIU players, along with MTSU’s Dominic Bourgeois, earned CUSA Player of the Week honors for week two. The weekly awards are voted on by a panel of the league’s media.
 
Offensive Player of the Week – JJ Kohl, FIU – Jr. – QB – Ankeny, Iowa
Kohl delivered a standout performance in the Panthers’ (1-1) 33-20 victory over Buffalo, passing for 367 yards and three touchdowns while completing passes to nine different receivers. He also made history with a 19-yard touchdown reception, becoming the first quarterback in FIU history to catch a touchdown. Kohl connected on two touchdown passes and amassed 224 yards just in the first half. He finished 5-7 for 130 yards on third downs in the win.  
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Elisha Baldridge, FIU – Jr. – DL – Big Prairie, Ohio
Baldridge turned in a dominant performance on Saturday, recording 2.0 sacks, six tackles, four solo stops and a quarterback hurry. He stripped the ball loose on both of his sacks, with one recovered by FIU. His disruptive effort earned him the distinction of being the top-rated EDGE among all CUSA defenders in Week Two, according to PFF.
 
Special Teams Player of the Week – Dominic Bourgeois, MTSU – Sr. – K – Baltimore, Md.
Bourgeois connected on two field goals and hit all three of his extra points in MTSU's (1-1) hotly contested game at Marshall. His second quarter field goal went for 52 yards to set a new personal record and match the fifth longest in Blue Raider history. It was also the longest hit for an MTSU player since 2010. The senior would later add a 35-yard field goal to pull MTSU within one point at the half on the road. In four years of collegiate football, Bourgeois has only missed one field goal try.
 
Freshman of the Week – Felix Visser, FIU – Fr. – P – Perth, Australia
Visser booted three punts for an average of 42.7 yards, including a long punt of 49 yards, in Saturday’s win. He had two punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and Buffalo’s average starting field position on his three kicks was just shy of its own 16-yard line.
 
Offensive Lineman of the Week – Zaire Flournoy, FIU – Sr. – OL – Douglasville, Ga.
Flournoy anchored an offensive line that didn’t allow a sack on 41 dropbacks in the victory over Buffalo and helped pave the way for 540 yards of total offense, averaging 7.1 yards per play. He played all 77 snaps at right guard without getting flagged and while allowing just two pressures.
 
2026 Weekly Award Winners
 
Offensive Players of the Week
A31     Trey Hedden, NM State
S7      Jamill Williams, Jax State
S14     JJ Kohl, FIU
 
Defensive Players of the Week
A31     Gabe Peterson, NM State
S7      Nick Session, NM State
S14     Elisha Baldridge, FIU
 
Special Teams Players of the Week
A31     Conor Donaghy, Jax State
S7      Triston Morgan, Kennesaw State
S14     Dominic Bourgeois, MTSU
 
Freshmen of the Week
A31     Carson Su’esu’e, NM State
S7      Kevin Moore, Delaware
S14     Felix Visser, FIU
 
Offensive Linemen of the Week
A31     Ma’kyi Lee, NM State
S7      Lance Johnson, Jax State
S14     Zaire Flournoy, FIU