Kinchens Selected to Thorpe Award Watch List

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior safety Kamren Kinchens was named to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award honoring college football’s top defensive back, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association announced Thursday.

Kinchens, a first-team All-American a season ago as a sophomore with the Hurricanes, picked up his fourth major accolade of the preseason; Kinchens was also named to the watch lists for the Wuerffel Trophy and Nagurski Trophy, and he also earned Preseason All-ACC recognition.

The Miami native enjoyed a breakout 2022, where he was selected to the All-ACC First Team and earned All-America honors from multiple outlets. Kinchens led the Hurricanes with 59 total tackles, starting all 12 games and finishing with a team-high six interceptions.

Kinchens is one of several Hurricanes who have been recognized to preseason watch lists for major awards, including Javion Cohen (Outland Trophy), Matt Lee (Rimington Award), Elijah Arroyo (Mackey Award) and Andy Borregales (Groza Award).

The preseason Thorpe Award watch list is selected by a screening committee whose members compile a list of up to 50 players based on previous performance in NCAA Division I college football and preseason All-America lists. This list is not final, and players who have outstanding seasons may be added to the semifinalists and finalists lists as the season progresses.

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. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.