SOUTH BEND, Ind. — University of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton was named one of 12 semifinalists for the 2021 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Monday morning. The award is given to the best defensive back in college football and it is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.
Hamilton leads the Irish with three interceptions, which ranks tied for seventh nationally, and four pass breakups on the season, while ranking second on the team with 35 tackles. He was recently named a Midseason All-America First Team selection by the Associated Press, Sporting News, CBS Sports, ESPN.com, The Athletic and Athlon Sports.
Hamilton opened the season with two interceptions in Notre Dame’s road-overtime win over Florida State. He was the first Irish player to have two interceptions in a game since Alohi Gilman in 2018 against Syracuse. He earned LOTT Impact Player of the Week following his performance against the Seminoles.
In the Irish’s home win over Purdue, Hamilton tied a career high with 10 tackles, including one to halt a Purdue fourth down conversion attempt in the first half. Later in the fourth quarter, Hamilton recorded his third interception of the season in the red zone to thwart a Purdue comeback attempt. Following his performance against the Boilermakers, he garnered player of the week awards from Walter Camp, Bednarik Award and Athlon.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Selection Committee will reconvene on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists and the winner will be announced on December 9th. The last time the Irish had a finalist for the award was in 2018 with Julian Love. No Notre Dame player has won the award since it was established in 1986.
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