OKLAHOMA CITY – Three Mountain West football players are among the 35 student-athletes on the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List, as announced today by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association. The award honors the nation’s best defensive back.
Boise State’s Ty Benefield and A’Marion McCoy and Fresno State’s Al’zillion Hamilton represent the MW on the 2025 preseason watch list.
The MW’s three selections trail only the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12.
The preseason watch list is selected by a screening committee whose members compile a list of up to 50 players based on previous performance in NCAA Division I college football and preseason All-America lists. This list is not final, and players who have outstanding seasons may be added to the semifinalists and finalists lists as the season progresses.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 28. A screening committee consisting of OSHOF members monitors all defensive backs throughout the season, including watch list players, and narrows the field to up to 15 semifinalists.
Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The three finalists are submitted to a national panel of over 250 sports writers, sportscasters, former players and coaches who vote to determine the winner of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.
The winner will be announced on Friday, Dec. 12, during the ESPN live presentation of The Home Depot College Football Awards.
Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List (MW representatives)
Ty Benefield, Jr., S, Boise State
A’Marion McCoy, Sr., CB, Boise State
Al’zillion Hamilton, Sr., CB, Fresno State
