Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association Are Proud to Reveal the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award 2022 Semifinalists

Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced today the 12 semifinalists for the 2022 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, awarded to the best defensive back in college football. The award is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

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The dozen semifinalists on this year’s list represent six conferences and are selected by a screening committee. However, this list is not final and unlisted players who have continually outstanding performances as the season progresses may be recognized as one of the three finalists.

2022 PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD SEMIFINALISTS

Trevon Flowers, Tennessee, Sr.

Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State, Jr.

Erick Hallett II, Pittsburgh, Sr.

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU, Sr.

Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M, Jr.

Clark Phillips III, Utah, So.

Joey Porter, Jr., Penn State, Jr.

Lathan Ransom, Ohio State, Jr.

Bentlee Sanders, Nevada, Sr.

Christopher Smith, Georgia, Sr.

Jason Taylor II, Oklahoma State, Sr.

Devon Witherspoon, Illinois, Jr.

By Conference

ACC (1), BIG TEN (3), BIG 12 (2), MW (1), PAC-12 (1), SEC (4)

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Selection Committee will reconvene on the Sunday following Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The award finalists will be announced as part of a special presentation by ESPN on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The award recipient is selected from the three finalists 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 winner will be announced Thursday, Dec. 8, live on The Home Depot College Football Awards. Other recognized National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) awards announced include the Chuck Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award, John Mackey Award, Dave Rimington Trophy, Lou Groza Award, Ray Guy Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Fred Biletnikoff Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.

The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following ESPN's live presentation of The Home Depot College Football Awards. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet, including the first annual presentation of the newly founded Aeneas Williams Award, is scheduled to be held Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Oklahoma City.

For more information on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and Aeneas Williams Award, visit oklahomasportshalloffame.org.

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org and @NCFAA on Twitter to learn more about this association.

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.

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 jointly announced in May 2017 an exclusive sponsorship of the Jim Thorpe Award. As a result, the accolade has been named the “Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.”

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