OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame has released the 2018 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watchlist.
This list includes 35 of the nation’s best defensive backs, representing 11 conferences. The preseason watchlist is selected by a screening committee who compiles a list of 30-50 players. This list is not final, and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award annually recognizes the best defensive back in college football. The award is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. As such, it is considered one of the most coveted awards in college football.
The award recipient is selected by the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award National Selection Committee, which boasts members of the NCFAA, an Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in-house award committee, former Paycom Jim Thorpe Award recipients, and sportswriters and college football journalists throughout the country.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award was established in 1986 and is named after the greatest all-around athlete in history, Jim Thorpe. As a native Oklahoman, Thorpe excelled not only as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
Paycom Software, Inc. (“Paycom”) (NYSE:PAYC), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software, and the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) jointly announced in May 2017, an exclusive sponsorship of the Jim Thorpe Award. As such, the accolade is called the “Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.”
The 2018 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Presented by Gildan on Thursday, December 6, 2018, on ESPN. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, in Oklahoma City.
The 2018 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watchlist
(Other
defensive backs will be added as their season performance progresses)
| NAME | SCHOOL | ||||
| Dravon Askew-Henry, Sr. | West Virginia | ||||
| DeAndre Baker, Sr. | Georgia | ||||
| Kris Boyd, Sr. | Texas | ||||
| Blace Brown, Sr. | Troy | ||||
| Kyron Brown, Sr. | Akron | ||||
| T.J. Carter, So. | Memphis | ||||
| Justin Clifton, Sr. | Arkansas State | ||||
| Lukas Denis, Sr. | Boston College | ||||
| D’Cota Dixon, Sr. | Wisconsin | ||||
| David Dowell, Jr. | Michigan State | ||||
| Clifton Duck, Jr. | Appalachian State | ||||
| Mike Edwards, Sr. | Kentucky | ||||
| Jordan Fuller, Jr. | Ohio State | ||||
| Kyle Gibson, Sr. | Central Florida | ||||
| Mark Gilbert, Jr. | Duke | ||||
| Malik Grant, Jr. | Marshall | ||||
| Lavert Hill, Jr. | Michigan | ||||
| Javon Hagan, Jr. | Ohio | ||||
| Tyler Horton, Sr. | Boise State | ||||
| Michael Jackson, Sr. | Miami-FL | ||||
| Jah’Shawn Johnson, Sr. | Texas Tech | ||||
| Jaquan Johnson, Sr. | Miami-FL | ||||
| Shelton Lewis, Sr. | Florida Atlantic | ||||
| Julian Love, Jr. | Notre Dame | ||||
| Iman Marshall, Sr. | USC | ||||
| Byron Murphy, So. | Washington | ||||
| Kekoa Nawahine, Jr. | Boise State | ||||
| Delvon Randall, Sr. | Temple | ||||
| Taylor Rapp, Jr. | Washington | ||||
| J.R. Reed, Jr. | Georgia | ||||
| Amik Robertson, So. | Louisiana Tech | ||||
| Marvell Tell III, Sr. | USC | ||||
| Greedy Williams, So. | LSU | ||||
| Andrew Wingard, Sr. | Wyoming | ||||
| Jalen Young, Sr. | Florida Atlantic | ||||
By Conference: AAC (3), ACC (4), Big 10 (4), Big 12 (3), C-USA (4), IND (1), MAC (2), MW (3), PAC-12 (4), SEC (4), Sun Belt (3)
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA, and its now 23 awards, boasts over 800 recipients dating back to 1935. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watchlists over a two-week period. Sixteen of the association’s 23 awards select a preseason watchlist, and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the complete 2018 Preseason Watchlist Calendar.
| Mon, July 16 | Bednarik Award / Maxwell Trophy | ||||
| Tues, July 17 | Davey O’Brien Award | ||||
| Wed, July 18 | Doak Walker Award | ||||
| Thurs, July 19 | Biletnikoff Award | ||||
| Fri, July 20 | John Mackey Award / Rimington Trophy | ||||
| Mon, July 23 | Butkus Award / Paycom Jim Thorpe Award | ||||
| Tues, July 24 | Bronko Nagurski Trophy / Outland Trophy | ||||
| Wed, July 25 | Lou Groza Award / Ray Guy Award | ||||
| Thurs, July 26 | Paul Hornung Award / Wuerffel Trophy | ||||
| Fri, July 27 | Walter Camp Award | ||||
