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Football
Senior Is One Of 15 Semifinalists For Nation’s Top Defensive Back Award
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TheACC.com) – California senior defensive back Nohl Williams has been named a semifinalist for the 2024 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, announced Tuesday by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association.
Williams is one of 15 semifinalists representing seven conferences and one independent university.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is awarded to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The award was established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe.
The nation’s leader in interceptions with six picks, Williams is having an outstanding season for the Golden Bears. Of those six picks, he has totaled 54 interception return yards and returned one for a touchdown versus Miami. He also has 28 tackles, 19 of which are solo stops, and a total of 10 passes defended and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the season opener versus UC Davis.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Committee will reconvene on November 24 to select three award finalists. The award finalists will be announced as part of a special presentation by ESPN on November 26.
The award recipient is selected from the three finalists by the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award National Selection Committee, which boasts an Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in-house award committee, former Paycom Jim Thorpe Award recipients, members of the NCFAA and sports writers and college football journalists throughout the country.
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