SAN ANTONIO — UTSA defensive lineman Christian Clayton and linebacker Jamal Ligon have been named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American Watch List, the organization announced Tuesday.
Clayton has made an impact as a regular in the defensive line rotation for the Roadrunners this season. The redshirt freshman from Fort Worth has made the most of his 10 total tackles, as six have come behind the line of scrimmage, good for second overall and first among freshmen in Conference USA. He posted four stops, including two tackles for a combined loss of six yards, against UAB and he also recorded a pair of TFLs, including a sack, versus Army. Clayton had two tackles, one TFL and a forced fumble in the 24-10 victory over Stephen F. Austin and he also tallied a stop behind the line of scrimmage for three yards in the 37-35 win against Middle Tennessee.
Ligon has played in all six games and made starts at inside linebacker in the last five contests for UTSA. The true freshman from Tyler leads the Roadrunners with 42 total tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Ligon enjoyed a breakout performance in the 37-35 win over Middle Tennessee on Sept. 25, as he broke the school record for tackles in a game with 19, including eight solo stops and 1.5 sacks, and he was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week and Athlon Sports Defensive Freshman of the Week. That total eclipsed the previous UTSA standard of 16 set by Cody Rogers in 2011 and it is tied for the second-most tackles in a game by an FBS player this season. Ligon, who posted nine tackles in his last outing versus Army, ranks second in the nation in fumble recoveries and second among C-USA freshmen in tackles.
This marks the second straight year UTSA has been represented on the watch list, as Sincere McCormick received the nod en route to collecting 2019 FWAA Freshman All-America accolades.
This year's FWAA Freshman All-American team will represent the 20th since its inception and feature a list of seven semifinalists and three finalists later this season leading up to the unveiling of the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year.
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