OKLAHOMA CITY — BYU safety Faletau Satuala was today named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Jim Thorpe Association.
The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.
Satuala, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior from Bountiful, Utah, played in all 14 games for No. 12-ranked BYU in 2025. He led the Cougars with 78 tackles and two forced fumbles, while collecting three interceptions and 7.5 tackles for loss, en route to being named second-team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America. He also earned All-Big 12 honors by the conference.
In game eight of the season, Satuala was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and Lott Trophy Player of the Week for his play in helping BYU defeat Iowa State in Ames to improve to 8-0 on the year.
Satuala was recently named 2026 Preseason All-America and All-Big 12 by Athlon Sports. He was also selected to the Preseason Watch List for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and was named Preseason All-Big 12 by Phil Steele, Pro Football Network and Sports Info Solutions.
Preseason watch list candidates for the Jim Thorpe Award were selected based on various preseason All-America lists and previous performance in NCAA DI college football games. The award was established in 1986 and is named after Jim Thorpe, one of great all-around athletes in American football history. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball but was also a standout defensive back.
BYU kicks off the 2026 football season against Utah Tech on Saturday, Sept. 5 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT.