OKLAHOMA CITY - Fresno State senior cornerback Al'zillion Hamilton has added another preseason honor to his resume as the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association selected the veteran Bulldog to the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award on Wednesday. The watch list includes 35 of the nation's best defensive backs.
Hamilton is one of three defensive backs on the list from the Mountain West, joining a pair from Boise State. Fresno State has a player selected to the preseason watch list for the first time since safety Evan Williams in 2022. He is the first Bulldog cornerback to land on the preseason list since Jaron Bryant in 2019.
One of the top pass defenders in 2024, Hamilton returns to the Bulldog defense as the most experienced player on the roster with 42 career games. Beginning his career primarily as a special teams contributor, he has learned behind talented Bulldogs such as DaRon Bland and Cam Lockridge.
Last season, Hamilton finished the year with 52 total tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, 13 pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. He ranked 10th in the FBS in passes defended, averaging 1.2 per game, and had the fourth most passes defended in the FBS in 2024 (15). In just conference games, Hamilton had nine total passes defended with seven pass breakups and two interceptions to lead the conference in that category.
A versatile defensive back, Hamilton also spent some time at the nickel position last year.
So far in 2025, his preseason honors include Preseason All-Mountain West, Shrine Bowl 1000, Athlon Sports First Team Preseason All-Mountain West, and Phil Steele Second Team Preseason All-Mountain West.