Bandy Named to Thorpe Award Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior defensive back Trajan Bandy was among those players named to the 2019 Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced Monday.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award annually recognizes the best defensive back in college football. The award is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.
Bandy enjoyed a breakout sophomore season in 2018, starting all 13 games and earning All-ACC third-team recognition. The Miami native posted career-best totals across the board, including tackles (36), tackles for loss (4.5) and passes defended (eight). Bandy wore the turnover chain more than any other player last year, finishing with a team high-tying three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Bandy is the sixth Hurricane to garner preseason plaudits; junior defensive lineman Jonathan Garvin and senior linebacker Shaq Quarterman were tabbed to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, redshirt senior wide receiver K.J. Osborn was named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan was named a preseason Mackey Award candidate and both Quarterman and Michael Pinckney were tabbed as Butkus Award candidates.
This list includes 46 of the nation’s best defensive backs, representing 10 conferences and one Independent. The preseason watch list is selected by a screening committee that compiles a list of 30-50 players. This list is not final and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses. The Thorpe Award is considered one of the most coveted awards in college football.
The award recipient is selected 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 2019 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Presented by Gildan Dec. 12 on ESPN. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held Feb. 4, 2020, in Oklahoma City.
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.
