The 49-player Jim Thorpe Award watch list was announced early on Monday and included Aztecs safety Tariq Thompson and cornerback Darren Hall. There were two other Mountain West players selected, them being Boise State’s cornerback duo of Jalen Walker and Kekaula Kaniho.
The dynamic duo aided SDSU in finishing the season with a 10-3 record, their fourth campaign with double-digit wins over the past five years. Much of their success was brought on by their defense, as their offense was only able to muster 22.5 points per game, ranked 100th among 130 schools. Out of all FBS defenses in 2019, the Aztecs finished second in points per game allowed at just 12.