Five Sec Players Make Jim Thorpe Watch List
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: July 16, 2012
The Jim Thorpe Association announced today the 2012 Preseason Watch List
for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the best defensive back in college
football. The list includes 35 of the top defensive backs in the
country representing 11 conferences.
The Thorpe Award is named after history's greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Jim Thorpe Association in Oklahoma City. Thorpe excelled at every sport in which he competed, including football at which he played on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 2012 Olympics mark the 100-year anniversary of Thorpe winning gold in the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.
The Jim Thorpe Award watch list is chosen by a screening committee who compiles a list of 30-40 players each year. The list is not final and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses. The Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 6, 2012 on ESPN.
The Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official website, www.NCFAA.org.
Johnny Adams, Michigan State
Jahleel Addae, Central Michigan
Ricardo Allen, Purdue
David Amerson, N.C. State
Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
C.J. Barnett, Ohio State
John Boyett, Oregon
Chad Boyd, Louisiana Tech
Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State
Travis Carrie, Ohio
Jonathan Cyprien, FIU
Matt Elam, Florida
D.J. Hayden, Houston
Jarred Holley, Pittsburgh
Kemal Ishmael, UCF
Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
Robert Lester, Alabama
Isaiah Lewis, Michigan State
Nigel Malone, Kansas State
Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
Dexter McCoil, Tulsa
T.J. McDonald, USC
Leon McFadden, San Diego State
Dayonne Nunley, Miami (Ohio)
Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
Eric Reid, LSU
Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
Nickell Robey, USC
Logan Ryan, Rutgers
Johnnie Simon, Western Michigan
Hakeem Smith, Louisville
Brynden Trawick, Troy
Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
Deron Wilson, Southern Miss
The Thorpe Award is named after history's greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Jim Thorpe Association in Oklahoma City. Thorpe excelled at every sport in which he competed, including football at which he played on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 2012 Olympics mark the 100-year anniversary of Thorpe winning gold in the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.
The Jim Thorpe Award watch list is chosen by a screening committee who compiles a list of 30-40 players each year. The list is not final and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses. The Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 6, 2012 on ESPN.
The Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA). The NCFAA was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence and prestige of the game's predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association's official website, www.NCFAA.org.
Johnny Adams, Michigan State
Jahleel Addae, Central Michigan
Ricardo Allen, Purdue
David Amerson, N.C. State
Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
C.J. Barnett, Ohio State
John Boyett, Oregon
Chad Boyd, Louisiana Tech
Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State
Travis Carrie, Ohio
Jonathan Cyprien, FIU
Matt Elam, Florida
D.J. Hayden, Houston
Jarred Holley, Pittsburgh
Kemal Ishmael, UCF
Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
Robert Lester, Alabama
Isaiah Lewis, Michigan State
Nigel Malone, Kansas State
Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
Dexter McCoil, Tulsa
T.J. McDonald, USC
Leon McFadden, San Diego State
Dayonne Nunley, Miami (Ohio)
Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
Eric Reid, LSU
Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
Nickell Robey, USC
Logan Ryan, Rutgers
Johnnie Simon, Western Michigan
Hakeem Smith, Louisville
Brynden Trawick, Troy
Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
Deron Wilson, Southern Miss
