Courtesy of Air Force

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association released the finalists for the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. This list includes the nation’s three best defensive backs based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

Cooper DeJean (Iowa, Jr., Cornerback), Malaki Starks (Georgia, So., Safety) and Trey Taylor (Air Force, Sr., Safety) are the three defensive backs chosen as the 2023 finalists. This group of finalists represents two Power Five conferences (Big Ten, SEC) and one Group of Five conference (Mountain West).

Cooper DeJean (Iowa, Jr., Cornerback)
41 tackles (26 solo, 15 assist), 2 interceptions (41 yards), 5 passes defended (through Week 10)

Malaki Starks (Georgia, So., Safety)
43 tackles (25 solo, 18 assist), 2 interceptions (21 yards), 6 passes defended

Trey Taylor (Air Force, Sr., Safety)
71 tackles (39 solo, 32 assist, 0.5 sacks), 3 interceptions (97 yards, 51-yard interception, 1 touchdown), 4 passes defended

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 OSHOF in-house award committee, former Paycom Jim Thorpe Award recipients, sportswriters and college football journalists throughout the country.

PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, Dec. 8, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Eastern
Winner Announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards
The winner will be announced on ESPN’s live presentation of The Home Depot College Football Awards. Other recognized NCFAA awards announced include the Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award, Mackey Award, Rimington Trophy, Lou Groza Award, Ray Guy Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Biletnikoff Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award and others.

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet Honoring the 2023 Winner in Oklahoma City.
The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following 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. For more information on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and past award recipients, please visit oklahomasportshalloffame.org.

PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD FINALISTS FAN VOTE
For the sixth consecutive year, the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award will hold the official Finalists Fan Vote. Voting opens Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. Central and closes Friday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. Central. Voting is free to all participants. The winner of the fan vote will receive one vote toward the overall nationwide results.
Use the link below to be directed to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Finalists Fan Vote.
https://www.paycom.com/about/sponsorships/jim-thorpe-award/
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. 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. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on Twitter at @NCFAA.

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.”

#7 – Trey Taylor, FS
6-0, 210, Sr., Frisco, TX, (Frisco Lone Star)
• Winner of the Defender of the Nation Award, the second Falcon and first since Kyle Johnson in 2019 to win the award
• Named one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award
• Third on the team in tackles with 71 and second in solo stops with 39
• Eighth in the MW in INTs (3)
• TFL in four games this season
• Three tackles and an INT vs. UNLV
• Matched his season high with 10 tackles at CSU, including a stop on fourth-and-one to force a turnover on downs
• Eight tackles at Navy
• Season-high 10 tackles, including seven unassisted, and a TFL for 12 yards vs. Wyoming…also blocked a PAT, the first block by a Falcon since 2021, to keep the score tied 27-all in the fourth quarter…named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week
•Scored first-career touchdown on a 30-yard INT return for a score vs. San Diego State
• Eight tackles, TFL and INT at San Jose State…returned the INT 51 yards to set up a TD
• Preseason all-MW