Shaun Wade Recognized on Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

Only two Buckeyes have ever won the award as the nation's best defensive back, most recently in 2008.

One Buckeye standout is having quite the summer in the awards category.

Junior cornerback Shaun Wade was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list, which is presented annually to the top defensive back in college football. This marks the second award watch list Wade has been named too; Wade was also featured on the Bednarik Award watch list, claimed by the best defensive player in the country.

The full list is available here.

Last season as a sophomore, Wade played the inside cornerback position as teammates Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette locked down the outside. At the end of this upcoming season, Wade is expected to pursue the NFL Draft where he will likely join his former teammates as a first round pick.

Even as the third cornerback in a talented Ohio State secondary, Wade earned third-team All-Big Ten honors by both the coaches in the media. In 14 games last season, he collected three turnovers -- one interception and two forced fumbles.

Jim Thorpe, the namesake of the award, was a two-time consensus All-American at Carlisle (Pa.) in the early 1900’s. He is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. He was a professional football, basketball and baseball player and he won Olympic Gold Medals in 1912 in both the pentathlon and decathlon.

Since the debut of the award in 1986, Ohio State has had two players claim it. Antoine Winfield was the first Buckeye to win the award back in 1998. The last time OSU brought the trophy back to The Shoe was when Malcom Jenkins was awarded the trophy in 2008.

With the 2020 season looming, Wade will have his hands full with OSU’s opponents. He will be tasked with covering three Biletnikoff Award watch list nominees (college football’s top receiver), all which will come in the second half of the season.

The National College Football Awards Association will roll out watch lists over the next two weeks for all of the major national awards. They include:

July 13 - Bednarik Award (watch list includes Shaun Wade)

July 14 - Davey O'Brien Award (includes Justin Fields)

July 15 - Doak Walker Award

July 16 - Biletnikoff Award (includes Chris Olave)

July 17 - John Mackey Award (includes Luke Farrell)

July 20 - Butkus Award (includes Tuf Borland, Pete Werner and Baron Browning) and Paycom Jim Thorpe Award

July 21 - Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy

July 22 - Lou Groza Award and Ray Guy Award

July 23 - Paul Hornung Award and Wuerffel Trophy

July 24 - Maxwell Award

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