OU, OSU, TU All Represented On Preseason Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

The preseason Watch List for the Jim Thorpe Award was released Friday, and college football fans from all over the state of Oklahoma have reason to be excited.

Oklahoma junior safety Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma State senior cornerback Brodrick Brown and Tulsa senior safety Dexter McCoil each made the 35-man Watch List for the best defensive back in college football.

Jefferson had a successful sophomore year at OU, finishing the 13-game campaign with four interceptions and 74 tackles that included 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was Honorable Mention for All-Big 12 by the coaches and the AP.

Brown finished the 2011 season with 66 tackles, 15 pass break-ups and five interceptions for the 12-1 Fiesta Bowl Champions. He was named Second-Team All-American by SI.com, First-Team All-Big 12 by both the coaches and the AP, and was a Thorpe Award semifinalist.

McCoil had 84 tackles, seven pass break-ups and six interceptions in 13 games last year for the 8-5 Golden Hurricane. He earned second-team all-C-USA honors and was named the Tulsa MVP of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. In that game against BYU, McCoil totaled 10 tackles, two interceptions for 37 yards and one pass break-up.

Notable former Thorpe Award winners includes Deion Sanders, (‘88, FSU) Charles Woodson, ('97, MICH) Roy Williams ('01, OU) and Patrick Peterson. ('10, LSU)