ATLANTA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its Football Players of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 1, honoring student-athletes for impressive performances in games played last week.
Darius Cyprian (
Kentucky State),
Trevon French (
Edward Waters),
Zane Spires (
Benedict) and
Brent Upshaw Jr. (
Allen) were recognized.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – DARIUS CYPRIAN, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
Wide Receiver | Sr. | Baton Rouge, La.
Cyprian powered Kentucky State’s passing attack with a game-high eight receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Thorobreds’ 41-14 victory over rival Central State. Targeted nine times, Cyprian averaged 12.3 yards per reception and produced 33 yards after the catch. He capped his performance with an 18-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter, extending Kentucky State’s lead to 34-14 and helping seal the conference victory.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – TREVON FRENCH, EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY
Linebacker | So. | Powder Springs, Ga.
Preseason SIAC Defensive Player of the Year Trevon French got the season started in tremendous fashion as he racked up a game high 16 total tackles in Edward Waters season opening 42-28 victory over Florida Memorial in the 2026 Unity Classic. French delivered a dominant all-around performance with four solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, a fumble recovery, and a blocked extra-point attempt.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – ZANE SPIRES, BENEDICT COLLEGE
Punter/Kicker | So. | Gainesville, Fla.
Kicker Zane Spires accounted for 14 of Benedict's 32 points in the Tigers' 32-10 victory over Johnson C. Smith in the Battle of the Border Classic on Saturday. Spires was successful on four of five field goal attempts, splitting the uprights on kicks of 32, 30, 29 and 21 yards. His only miss was a 51-yard attempt. He was also successful on two of three extra point kicks.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK – BRENT UPSHAW JR., ALLEN UNIVERSITY
Quarterback | So. | Springfield, Ohio
Brent Upshaw Jr. delivered an outstanding performance leading the offense in our season opener against Livingstone College, completing 17 of 25 passes for 333 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He commanded the offense with poise and high-level efficiency, averaging 13.3 yards per attempt while keeping the chains moving all game long.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.