Academics: Named Mountain West All-Academic in 2017 and 2018.
2018 (Junior Season): Named honorable mention All-Mountain West … played in 11 games, starting the final four at nose tackle … recorded 10 tackles with 3.5 TFLs for nine yards … had a three QB hurries … recorded one pass breakup … had a career-high two tackles twice, against Colorado State and Wyoming … both tackles against Wyoming were for loss … had a tackle for loss against Texas A&M … recorded a pass breakup against Colorado State.
2017 (Sophomore Season): Played and started in all 12 games, recording 29 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss for 17 years, 2.0 sacks for 11 yards, one pass break up and two quarterback hurries … recorded a career-high five tackles against Colorado State, including 2.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss … had four tackles in a win over New Mexico State … added three tackles and a pass breakup against San Diego State … had a tackle for loss, part of a two-tackle game, in the finale against Wyoming.
Junior College: Lettered at Mesa Community College for coach Ryan Felker … played in 11 games for Mesa CC, registering 42 tackles, including 29 solos … recorded 6.5 sacks for 39 yards and 11.0 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries … signed with Weber State out of high school before transferring to Mesa.
High School: Lettered at Liberty High School for coach Dan Filimen … named All-West Valley Defensive Player of the Year … named American Family Insurance All-USA Arizona football team and First Team AFI All-Arizona Division II … named First Team All-State by Arizona Football Coaches Association … named MaxPreps Second Team All-American for medium schools in 2014 … was also named First Team All-West Valley as a defensive lineman.
Personal: Full name is Aaron Nicholas Blackwell … his parents are Randy and Myra Blackwell, brothers are Sam and Morgan … his birthday is July 5, 1997 … became a viral sensation in 2018 when a video of him lifting weights gained nearly two million views on Twitter and was picked up by ESPN, Fox News and CBS … majoring in business administration.