Wide receiver T.K. King, running back T.J. Washington Jr. and wide receiver A.J. Williams III were announced by NM State Football as selections to the 2026 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List.
By Levi Gwaltney for Las Cruces Digest
Images: Courtesy
Four NM State football players are receiving national preseason recognition, with three Aggies named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List and linebacker Sone Aupiu selected for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List.
Sone Aupiu has been named to the 2026 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List for the third consecutive year. (Photo Courtesy NMSU Athletics)
Wide receiver T.K. King, running back T.J. Washington Jr. and wide receiver A.J. Williams III were announced by NM State Football as selections to the 2026 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List.
The 14th annual preseason list includes 107 players representing schools from nine FBS conferences and independent programs. Conference USA has 11 players on the list, including the three Aggies.
Three Aggies on Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Watch List
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes a top offensive player in Division I football while also considering qualities associated with Campbell, including integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity.
Eligibility also carries a Texas connection. Nominees must have played and graduated from a Texas high school or currently play for a Texas NCAA Division I four-year college.
For NM State, that has placed King, Washington and Williams among this year’s candidates.
The preseason list is expected to be reduced to as many as 16 semifinalists in November and as many as five finalists in December. The winner will be announced in December and recognized at the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet in Tyler, Texas, on Jan. 27, 2027.
Aupiu Returns to Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List
On the other side of the ball, Sone Aupiu has been named to the 2026 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List.
The award, presented by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, recognizes an outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry who demonstrates ability and integrity on and off the field.
Aupiu is one of 68 players from 35 NCAA Division I programs selected for the initial 2026 list. Candidates were chosen based on past performance and potential for the coming season, and additional players may be added as the season progresses.
Aupiu’s appearance is not his first. The NM State linebacker was also selected for the award’s watch list in 2024 and 2025, making 2026 his third consecutive appearance.
“The Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award has become a defining measure of excellence within the Polynesian football community,” Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Chairman and Co-Founder Jesse Sapolu said. “This is true because it aligns with our cultural beliefs of respect, humility, work ethic and pride that represents and defines us.”
Finalists for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award are scheduled to be announced Dec. 8, with the winner announced Dec. 15. The award will be presented during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner in January.
Together, the two watch lists give NM State four preseason selections spanning both sides of the football as the Aggies prepare for the 2026 season.
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