The Jim Thorpe Award has been given annually to the nation’s top collegiate defensive back since 1986, with LSU and former Big 12 member Oklahoma member leading the way with three winners each.
Trailing them with two Thorpe Award winners each are a trio of current Big 12 teams in Colorado, Arizona and TCU. Could any of those schools add to their list in 2024? A closer look at their rosters shows that’s a distinct possibility.
Colorado’s winners were Deon Figures in 1992 and Chris Hudson in 1994. Arizona’s winners were Darryl Lewis in 1990 and Antoine Cason. TCU’s two winners were in the last four seasons — Trevon Moehrig in 2020 and Tre Tomlinson in 2022.
Colorado has one of the top players in the nation — regardless of position — in junior cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, who was a consensus All-American and won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player in 2023.
Arizona also has someone who could be a generational talent in cornerback Tacario Davis a 6-foot-4, 195-pound junior who was an All-Pac-12 pick in 2023 after he led the league with 15 pass breakups and 16 passes defended. Both Davis and Hunter are projected as first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Most Thorpe Award Winners By School🔒 pic.twitter.com/KZIoupPPND
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 19, 2024
