The preseason awards keep rolling in for what should be a deep, talented USC Trojans squad in 2020.
The latest is for defensive back Talanoa Hufanga, who was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list, an award given to the nation’s top defensive back.
Hufanga is joined by six fellow PAC-12 defensive backs: Paulson Adebo from Stanford, Camryn Bynum from Cal, Thomas Graham and Jevon Holland from Oregon and Elijah Molden from Washington.
Hufanga is also a preseason candidate for the Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player, so it is no surprise he found his way onto this list as well.
The incoming junior made the All-PAC-12 second team last year, finishing with 90 total tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss in 2019.
The Thorpe Award has gone to the Trojans twice — Mark Carrier in 1989 and Adoree’ Jackson in 2016. USC is one of just eight schools to have multiple award winners.