NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State saw five players earn a spot on the Southland Conference All-Academic team, the conference office announced on Friday.
 
Ben Bienvenu, Caleb Billiot, Myion Hicks, Abram Johnston and Danny Sears each earned a spot on the team for the Demons. It is the first all-academic honor for each of the five student-athletes.
 
To be considered for the selection, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.25 or better while participating in at least 50 percent of the team's competitions.
 
A Natchitoches native, Bienvenu saw action in 11 games in his first season with the Demons. He made a season-high five tackles against McNeese and picked up four more against UIW a week later, including his first career tackle for loss.
 
Bienvenu is a business administration major and has a 3.64 GPA.
 
One of two team captain selection to earn all-academic honors, Billiot started every game for the Demons at center in 2025. He extended his consecutive games started at the position to 16 by season's end with 21 total starts over the past two years.
 
The Houma native carries a 3.54 GPA in health and exercise science and was also named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team earlier this month.
 
A graduate transfer, Hicks led the Demons in rushing in 2025 with 311 yards on 78 carries, bursting onto the scene with a season-long 51-yard jaunt in the opening win against Alcorn State. 
 
Hicks produced a 4.0 mark in NSU's health and human performance master's program.
 
NSU's starting quarterback throughout the season, Johnston maintained a 3.86 GPA as a biology major while throwing for over 1,000 yards, rushing for nearly 300 and contributing to 11 total touchdowns during the season.
 
Perhaps his signature performance of the year came on the road at Nicholls where he accounted for 242 total yards and three touchdowns, two of them rushing, while going 18-for-23 through the air and carrying the ball 18 times in the game.
 
The other team captain from this list and fellow CSC Academic All-District selection, Sears was one of four defensive players to start every game for the Demons this past season. 
 
He finished fourth on the team with 51 tackles with at least two stops in every game, pushing his streak of game with two or more tackles to 17 straight. A health and human performance major, Sears made five or more stops in five games and maintains a 3.55 GPA.
 
East Texas A&M linebacker Koby-Sebasyen King and Stephen F. Austin defensive lineman Ky Thomas were named SLC co-Student-Athlete of the Year.