Washington State's Kyle Thornton Named Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year For 2024

Joe Londergan | Jan 31, 2025

Oct 16, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars linebacker Kyle Thornton (52) runs down field against the Stanford Cardinal in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. The Cougars won 34-31. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

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Washington State Cougars

Washington State graduate student linebacker Kyle Thornton was recognized by the Pac-12 Conference this week as the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2024 football season.

Thornton was one of 41 football student-athletes from Oregon State and Washington State to be named to the Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll.

Thornton is finishing his MBA at Washington State, boasting a cumulative GPA of 3.84. 2024 marks Thornton's fourth time receiving Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll honors.

The linebacker was one of WSU's team captains in 2024, producing 71 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. He helped the Cougs to an 8-5 overall record in 2024 and an appearance in the Holiday Bowl in his final college season.

A former walk-on, Thornton is now hoping to boost his chances of landing a role in the NFL, or another professional league for the 2025 season.

Washington State Football Players Named To Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll

Sean Bures
Hudson Cedarland
Andrew Edson
Van Fessler
Aslan Fraser
Gavin Fugate
Nick Haberer
Lane Heeringa
Dean Janikowski
Jack Janikowski
Mason Juergens
Luke Leighton
Gauge Machado
John Mateer
Zack Miller
Cole Norah
Jaxon Potter
Jalen Ridgeway
Leyton Smithson
Isaac Terrell
Kyle Thornton

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Published Jan 31, 2025

JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.