OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., JULY 22, 2019 – USF junior Mike Hampton has been named to the 2019 Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List announced on Monday. The award annually recognizes the best defensive back in college football.
Based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character, the Thorpe Award Watch List includes 46 of the nation's top defensive backs, representing 10 conferences and one independent university. Hampton is one of only four players from the American Athletic Conference to be selected for the watch list.
A Tampa native, Hampton started 11 of 13 games in 2018 and ranked second in the league and ninth nationally with 18 passes defended, the second-most recorded in USF season history.