UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State senior safety Lamont Wade has been named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list, it was announced on Monday by The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association.
This list includes 49 of the nation's best defensive backs, representing 10 conferences. The preseason watch list is selected by a screening committee whose members compile a list of up to 50 players. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 to 15 semifinalists on the first Monday of November. From there, three finalists are submitted to a national panel of over 250 sports writers, sportscasters, former players and coaches who vote to determine the winner of the award.
All three finalists are invited to attend The Home Depot College Football Awards Show Presented by Gildan, broadcast live on ESPN from Atlanta, Georgia, where the winner is announced. The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following ESPN's live presentation at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
Lamont Wade Bio:
- Selected All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media in 2019.
- Tabbed a 2019 Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten second team.
- Made 13 starts at safety during the 2019 campaign.
- Tied a Big Ten record with three forced fumbles at Ohio State (11/23/19), joining Michigan's Jerry Hartman (vs. Indiana, 10/21/1967), Ohio State's Antoine Winfield (at Pittsburgh, 9/23/1995), Iowa's Bob Sanders (vs. Minnesota, 11/15/2003) and Northwestern's Ifeadi Odenigbo (vs. Western Illinois, 9/20/2014).
- Became the third conference player with three forced fumbles in a Big Ten game.
- Is the sixth player in the FBS since 2000 to have three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a game.
- Is the second Big Ten player since 2000 to have three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a game, joining Northwestern's Ifeadi Odenigbo (vs. Western Illinois, 9/20/2014).
- Collected a career-high 11 tackles, including four solo, while registering a solo sack and a pass breakup in the win over Purdue (10/5/19).
- Recorded seven tackles, including four solo, and broke up two passes in the win over Michigan (10/19/19).
- Tallied six tackles, including three solo, and made 1.5 tackles for loss in the win at Michigan State (10/26/19).
Penn State on 2020 Watch Lists
Bednarik Award: Micah Parsons
Biletnikoff Award: Pat Freiermuth
Butkus Award: Micah Parsons
Doak Walker Award: Journey Brown, Noah Cain
Jim Thorpe Award: Lamont Wade
John Mackey Award: Pat Freiermuth
O'Brien Award: Sean Clifford
Lott IMPACT Trophy: Micah Parsons