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  • Kansas Cornerback Cobee Bryant Earns A Spot On The 2023 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

Kansas Cornerback Cobee Bryant Earns A Spot On The 2023 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

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Football

The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association announced the prestigious Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List on Thursday, which includes Kansas junior cornerback Cobee Bryant.

This is the third preseason list to recognize Bryant, who is also on the Bronko Nagursky Trophy Watch List and the Lott IMPACT Preseason Watch List. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List includes 35 of the nation’s best defensive backs, representing 10 conferences and one independent university.

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is awarded to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The award was established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled 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. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is universally accepted as one of the nation’s top collegiate sports honors.

A native of Evergreen, Alabama, Bryant is a Preseason All-Big 12 selection after finishing his sophomore season with three interceptions, nine pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He had the game-clinching interception and returned it for a touchdown in overtime at West Virginia and added a blocked field goal return for a touchdown in the season-opening victory against Tennessee Tech.

Bryant earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2022 from the coaches and Second Team from the Associated Press. He totaled 38 tackles on the year, with 32 solo and six assisted stops, and ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 12 passes defended.

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NFCAA). Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.