Preseason award watchlist season rolls along as the Paycor Jim Thorpe Memorial Trophy shortlist has been announced by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. The Big Ten has quite the presence on this watchlist, just like the LOTT Impact Trophy, Maxwell Award, Nagurski Trophy, and Outland Trophy lists to date.
The Jim Thorpe Award is awarded to the nation’s top defensive back. It is named after multi-sport athlete and Carlisle standout, Jim Thorpe. This year marks the 39th year of the award and Ohio State and USC have had two past winners each while Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota each have one.
This year, seven Big Ten players made the cut, the most out of any single conference. Ohio State, Georgia, and Notre Dame are the only programs with more than one honoree on the 42-person shortlist.
Seven Big Ten Players Land on the Thorpe Award Watchlist
Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Fourth-year starter, Denzel Burke, was a revelation as a true freshman. Now, three years later, he’s among the elites and will challenge for this year’s Thorpe Award. He’s a two-time All-Big Ten honoree with last season being his first First-Team selection. Burke is coming off a season where he totaled 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, broke up nine passes, forced a fumble, and hauled in an interception.
Sebastian Castro, Iowa
Iowa is known for its defense and cornerback Sebastian Castro is next up. He’s set to follow up his Second-Team All-Big Ten season from a year ago. He posted 67 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, three interceptions (one pick-six), eight pass breakups, and forced three fumbles. Is it truly a defensive award watchlist without any Hawkeyes on it? Last year, Cooper DeJean was a finalist and Castro can be as well.
Caleb Downs, Ohio State
One of just two sophomores to make the list, Caleb Downs has high expectations. He transferred in from Alabama after earning a handful of prestigious awards in his All-SEC freshman season. As a true freshman season, he led the Tide with 107 tackles. That marked the first time in Alabama’s storied history that a freshman led the way. Downs is set to slot right in at safety for the Buckeyes and will look to repeat as one of the top defenders in the nation.
Will Johnson, Michigan
Will Johnson is currently expected to be the top corner in the 2025 NFL Draft, making him a perfect fit on the Thorpe Award watchlist. He was the Defensive MVP of the CFP National Championship. Johnson hauled in an interception on the first play of the second half, sparking 17-3 finish. He’s coming off a season where he was selected as both a First-Team All-Big Ten and First-Team All-American. Last year, he contributed 27 tackles, one tackle for loss, eight pass breakups, and four interceptions (one pick-six).
Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon
Jabbar Muhammad transferred in from Washington before this season. Oregon is Muhammad’s third school. He was an All-Big-12 at Oklahoma State in 2022 before moving to Washington. As a member of the Huskies’ secondary, Muhammad earned All-Pac-12 honors with 46 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, and a school-record 16 pass breakups. He looks to be a crucial part of an Oregon defense that will get them back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2014.
Dillon Thieneman Purdue
Last season, Purdue’s Dillon Thieneman was one of the best freshmen in the nation and is the other sophomore featured on the Thorpe Award shortlist. He earned National Defensive Freshman of the Year from the FWAA. Thieneman accounted for 106 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles, and six interceptions. He finished with the third-most interceptions at the FBS level. Purdue is often picked to finish toward the bottom of the Big Ten but Thieneman is a diamond in the rough for the Boilermakers.
Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin
Finally, Wisconsin had Hunter Wohler named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlist in addition to the Thorpe Award watchlist. Last season was his big break. The safety made 120 tackles, five-and-a-half tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, and broke up six passes. In addition to these two lists, Wohler is a Phil Steele Preseason Second-Team All-Big Ten selection.
