MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia sophomore safety Tykee Smith has been named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
The Jim Thorpe Award is awarded annually to the best defensive back in college football. There were 12 semifinalists announced from the FBS division, and it included eight players from Power 5 leagues and represented six conferences. Besides Smith, the only other Big 12 defensive back announced was TCU safety Trevon Moehrig.
Smith has started all nine games in 2020 and is tied for the WVU team lead with two interceptions (2), is second in tackles for loss (8.0) and tied for second in tackles (61) and pass breakups (5). A 2019 FWAA Freshman All-American, Smith is tied for No. 5 in the Big 12 in interceptions and No. 8 in interceptions per game. He has recorded at least one tackle for loss in four straight games and has registered at least six tackles in eight straight games.
The semifinalists are selected by a screening committee. However, this list is not final and players who have outstanding seasons can be recognized as one of the three finalists.
The award recipient is selected from the three finalists by the Jim Thorpe Award National Selection Committee, which boasts members of the NCFAA, an Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in-house award committee, former Jim Thorpe Award recipients and sportswriters and college football journalists throughout the country. The three finalists will be announced on Dec. 22nd in conjunction with ESPN.
The winner will be announced on the College Football Awards Show on Jan. 7 on ESPN.
