Where are the best defensive backs? Not in the Big Ten if you judge by the Jim Thorpe Award
The preseason watch list for college football's top defensive backs was released today, and Big Ten Conference players make up just four of the 37 spots.
The Jim Thorpe Award is one of many annual honors from the National College Football Awards Association, and its watch list is dominated by the SEC, which has 10 players listed.
Alabama has three players on the watch list -- Mark Brown, Dre Kirkpatrick and Robert Lester.
The Big Ten is represented by Alfonzo Dennard of Nebraska, Antonio Fenelus of Wisconsin, Brian Peters of Northwestern and Trenton Robinson of Michigan State.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has seven players on the watch list and the Big 12 has six.
The last Big Ten player to win the Thorpe Award? Malcolm Jenkins of Ohio State in 2008. The Big Ten dominated the award for a four-year stretch when Charles Woodson of Michigan won in 1997 followed by Antoine Winfield of Ohio State in 1998, Tyrone Carter of Minnesota in 1999 and Jamar Fletcher of Wisconsin in 2000.
Comments
OldBittyBates
Tue, Jul 12, 2011 : 12:54 a.m.
Michigan doesn't currently have anyone worthy of this kind of recognition. Rich Rod did not stock the cupboard with great talent. He left the shelves totally bare. It will probably take Coach Mattison and Coach Hoke three years to straighten out this mess. How long do you think this rebuilding program will take to complete?
Mick
Mon, Jul 11, 2011 : 10:35 p.m.
Well, hopefully Troy Woolfolk can come back and have a great senior season and be able to get himself in the conversation early in the season and maybe, just maybe become a finalist. You never know, that would mean our Defense has improved greatly and I'm all for that!