BATON ROUGE – LSU’s Grant Delpit is one of 14 semifinalists for the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s best defensive back, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced on Monday.
The Jim Thorpe Award is given 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 junior was named a semifinalist for the award a year ago.
Delpit is looking to join former LSU standouts Patrick Peterson (2010) and Morris Claiborne (2011) as winners of the award. Greedy Williams, a second-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, was a finalist for the award following the 2018 season.
Delpit, a New Orleans native, is second on the team in tackles with 38. He has one interception, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery to his credit. A unanimous All-American in 2018, Delpit leads SEC safeties and is third among power-five safeties in run stop percentage.
He was named a Midseason All-America last week by the Associated Press and The Athletic.
The award recipient is selected by the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award National Selection Committee, which boasts members of the NCFAA, an Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in-house award committee, former Paycom Jim Thorpe Award recipients, and sportswriters and college football journalists throughout the country.
The Thorpe Award winner is selected from the three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show and broadcast live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.
2019 Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalists
Luq Barcoo, San Diego State, Sr.
Essang Bassey, Wake Forest, Sr.
Douglas Coleman III, Texas Tech, Sr.
Grant Delpit, LSU, Jr.
Alohi Gilman, Notre Dame, Sr.
AJ Green, Oklahoma State, Sr. *
CJ Henderson, Florida, Jr.
Jevon Holland, Oregon, So.
Xavier McKinney, Alabama, Jr.
Tanner Muse, Clemson, *Gr.
Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State, Jr.
JR Reed, Georgia, Sr.
Elijah Riley, Army, Sr.
Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech, Jr.
*Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Fan Vote Winner