SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State's Tariq Thompson and Kyahva Tezino each were named to watch lists recognized by the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) on Monday. Thompson was selected to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, which recognizes the best defensive back in college football, while Tezino made the Butkus Award Watch List for the nation's best linebacker.
Thompson recorded 60 tackles (38 solo) a year ago, including five tackles for loss, two interceptions for 41 yards, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Thompson, who has started all 26 games since arriving to campus as a true freshman in 2017 at one of the Warrior positions (safety) in Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense, was a second-team all-MW pick for a second straight year in 2018 and also a member of the Pro Football Focus Mountain West Defensive Team of the Year for the second consecutive season. Thompson is one of 46 athletes on the watch list.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is awarded to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The award was established in 1986 and is named after history's greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
The Jim Thorpe Award winner will be selected from three finalists at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 12 on ESPN. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, in Oklahoma City.
Tezino is coming off a fantastic junior season in 2018 when he had 127 tackles (70 solo), including 14.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hurries, en route to earning first-team all-Mountain West honors. Tezino, who won the John Simcox Memorial Trophy Most Valuable Player, the Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy Defensive Player of the Year and the Dr. R. Hardy/C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy Captain Award at the team's postseason banquet, had 24 more tackles than No. 2 on the team and a remarkable 67 more than No. 3. His 127 tackles were the third most by an Aztec junior in program history and the eighth most in SDSU single-season history.
Tezino, who last week was named to the Bednarik Watch List for the outstanding defensive player, led the Mountain West and ranked 29th in FBS play in solo tackles per game, and was third in the league (35th in FBS) in sacks per game (0.65) and fourth (26th in FBS) in tackles per game (9.77). Tezino, who was the only San Diego State player to play every snap last season, put together two different three-game streaks with at least 10 tackles a year ago.
Formed in 1985, the Butkus Award honors Dick Butkus, who was recognized by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history. The Butkus Award includes the I Play Clean® initiative promoting training and nutrition instead of performance-enhancing drugs, and the Butkus Takes Heart™ initiative encouraging early cardiovascular screening among adults.
Tezino is one of 51 on the initial Butkus Award Watch List. Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 4, the finalists on Nov. 25 and the winner on or before Dec. 10.
The Aztecs finished 2018 with a 7-6 record, including wins over No. 23/25 Arizona State and rv/No. 24 Boise State. SDSU is one of 14 teams to make a bowl game in nine consecutive seasons. San Diego State returns its leading passer (Ryan Agnew), rusher (Juwan Washington) and tackler (Kyahva Tezino) from a year ago.
SDSU's Mountain West home schedule features the two teams that finished atop the West Division standings last year (Fresno State and Nevada), and two cross-division opponents with the best league record (Utah State) and the third-best mark on the Mountain Division (Wyoming). Overall, San Diego State's four Mountain West home games come against teams that went a combined 23-9 in league competition, while its four conference road contests are against teams that went 10-22 in league play.
The Aztecs kick off their 2019 season at home on Saturday, Aug. 31 against Weber State at 6 p.m. PT, followed by the KGB SkyShow.
For more ticket information, visit GoAztecs.com, call (619) 283-7378 or visit SDCCU Stadium's Window E between 9 a.m. PT and 5 p.m. PT.
Tariq Thompson and Kyahva Tezino Make Watch Lists
