By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Athletic Communications
Grambling State linebacker Andrew Jones and defensive lineman Jaden Hardy were both named to the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference All-SWAC teams, announced by the conference on Tuesday morning.
Jones landed first team honors while Hardy earned second team recognition.
Jones, who was named the SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, landed first team honors after a season that saw him log 122.0 total tackles (57 solo), 20.5 tackles of loss, 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown. His total tackles rank him first in the SWAC and sixth nationally, while his tackles for loss are second in the SWAC and fourth in FCS.
Jones registered double-digit tackles in 10 of GSU’s 12 games, including logging a season-high 15 tackles on Nov. 14 versus Alabama A&M.
He was also named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week three times this season and is also a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist and an HBCU+ Player of the Year Award finalist.
Hardy, a senior from Savannah, Ga., was fourth on the team in total tackles with 42.0 (15 solo). He added 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Hardy racked up a season-high nine tackles with 1.5 TFLs in GSU’s contest versus Prairie View A&M on Sept. 28.