Tycen Anderson (left) and Samuel Womack (right) flank teammate Bryce Harris at 2021 MAC Football Media Day. Anderson and Womack are one of only five defensive back duos in the nation to be on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list.
Photo by: Paul Helgren
Tycen Anderson, Samuel Womack Named to Jim Thorpe Watch List
7/26/2021 10:01:00 AM | Football
TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo seniors Tycen Anderson and Samuel Womack were named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association announced today.
The Jim Thorpe Award is presented each year to the best defensive back in the nation. Anderson and Womack are among 40 candidates nationally and two of only three players on the list from the Mid-American Conference. Toledo was also one of only five schools to have two candidates on the watch list. The others were Alabama, Cincinnati, Clemson and LSU.
Anderson, a safety, earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2020. A native of Toledo, Anderson is a two-year starter and three-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
Womack, a cornerback who began his career as a walk-on, led the MAC in pass breakups in 2019 (15) and 2020 (8). The Detroit native was second in the nation in breakups in 2019 and tied for seventh last year.
The preseason watch list for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award was compiled by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame based on previous performance and preseason All-America lists. A screening committee consisting of OSHOF members monitor the watch list players and narrow the field to 10 to 15 semifinalists in October. This committee reconvenes on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The three finalists are submitted to a national panel of over 250 sports writers, sportscasters, former players and coaches who vote to determine the winner of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.
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The winner will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following ESPN's live presentation at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries.
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The Jim Thorpe Award is presented each year to the best defensive back in the nation. Anderson and Womack are among 40 candidates nationally and two of only three players on the list from the Mid-American Conference. Toledo was also one of only five schools to have two candidates on the watch list. The others were Alabama, Cincinnati, Clemson and LSU.
Anderson, a safety, earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2020. A native of Toledo, Anderson is a two-year starter and three-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
Womack, a cornerback who began his career as a walk-on, led the MAC in pass breakups in 2019 (15) and 2020 (8). The Detroit native was second in the nation in breakups in 2019 and tied for seventh last year.
The preseason watch list for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award was compiled by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame based on previous performance and preseason All-America lists. A screening committee consisting of OSHOF members monitor the watch list players and narrow the field to 10 to 15 semifinalists in October. This committee reconvenes on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The three finalists are submitted to a national panel of over 250 sports writers, sportscasters, former players and coaches who vote to determine the winner of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.
Â
The winner will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following ESPN's live presentation at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries.
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