NOTRE DAME, Ind. — University of Notre Dame senior safety Alohi Gilman was selected to the 2019 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List.
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. As such, it is considered one of the most coveted awards in college football.
Gilman hopes to continue Notre Dame’s recent success with the Thorpe Award. Julian Love was one of three finalists in 2018.
Gilman played in and started all 13 games in 2018. He finished second on the Irish in total tackles (95). Gilman added three tackles for loss, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He was selected as the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week after registering two interceptions and eight tackles against No. 12 Syracuse.
Gilman set the College Football Playoff record and tied the Notre Dame bowl record for tackles with 18 against Clemson. He surpassed the previous CFP record of 15 set by Ohio State’s Raekwon McMillan in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, while he matched Rod Smith’s 18 against Florida in the 1992 Sugar Bowl.
This list includes 46 of the nation’s best defensive backs. The preseason watch list is selected by a screening committee who 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 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 on Thursday, December 12, 2019, on ESPN. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, in Oklahoma City.
About the National College Football Awards Association
The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boasts over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a two-week period this month. Sixteen of the association’s awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the complete 2019 preseason watch list calendar:
Here’s a quick rundown of when specific awards will release watch lists:
Mon., July 15: Bednarik Award (Khalid Kareem, Julian Okwara), Maxwell Award (Ian Book)
Tue., July 16: Davey O’Brien Award (Ian Book)
Wed., July 17: Doak Walker Award (Jafar Armstrong, Tony Jones Jr.)
Thur., July 18: Biletnikoff Award
Fri., July 19: Mackey Award (Cole Kmet), Rimington Trophy (Jarrett Patterson)
Mon., July 22: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award (Alohi Gilman), Butkus Award
Tue., July 23: Outland Trophy presented by NFID, Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., July 24: Lou Groza Award, Ray Guy Award
Thur., July 25: Paul Hornung Award, Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., July 26: Walter Camp Award
— ND —