The Thorpe Award, named after legendary footballer Jim Thorpe and given every year since 1986 to the top defensive back in college football, named its 2016 semifinalists Monday afternoon.
Naturally, the list included Ohio State redshirt sophomore Malik Hooker, a former three-star recruit from New Castle, Pennsylvania.
In his first year starting with the Buckeyes, Hooker is tied for sixth nationally with four interceptions. He has 22 solo tackles, 36 total tackles, and four tackles for a loss. He led the defense Saturday night with seven tackles against Penn State. An NFL scout and BTN analyst Matt Millen already see Ed Reed comparisons.
All semifinalists:
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| JAIRE ALEXANDER | LOUISVILLE | SO. |
| BUDDA BAKER | WASHINGTON | JR |
| TRAVON BLANCHARD | BAYLOR | JR |
| JUSTIN EVANS | TEXAS A&M | SR |
| MINKAH FITZPATRICK | ALABAMA | SO |
| MALIK HOOKER | OHIO STATE | SO |
| ADOREE' JACKSON | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | JR |
| DESMOND KING | IOWA | SR |
| JOURDAN LEWIS | MICHIGAN | SR |
| KAI NACUA | BRIGHAM YOUNG | SR |
| JABRILL PEPPERS | MICHIGAN | JR |
| WESTON STEELHAMMER | AIR FORCE | SR |
| CORDREA TANKERSLEY | CLEMSON | SR |
| TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE | LOUISIANA STATE | SR |
| XAVIER WOODS | LOUISIANA TECH | SR |
| ANDREW WINGARD | WYOMING | SR |
Three finalists will be named Nov. 21, with the winner announced live on the College Football Awards Show Dec. 8 on ESPN.
