Air Force Football: Trey Taylor Named Jim Thorpe Award Finalist
The Falcons safety stood out as one of the nation’s best on a stingy defense.
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Can the Mountain West snag another national honor?
The Air Force Falcons didn’t end their regular season as hoped, but one of the team’s defensive standouts earned a nod this morning as a finalist for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to college football’s top defensive back.
Senior safety Trey Taylor joins Georgia safety Malaki Starks and Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean as the three athletes in the running for the honor. The Frisco, Texas native was named a second-team all-Mountain West selection in 2022 and a preseason all-conference pick back in July, then he had his best season yet with a career-high 71 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and three interceptions. Taylor also posted an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 82.6 and was credited with allowing just 18 receptions on 31 targets for an average of 10.1 yards per reception.
Fans who are interested in supporting Taylor’s candidacy can make their voice heard through an online poll found here, which will remain open until the afternoon of Friday, December 1. The winner will be announced as part of ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards on Friday, December 8, with a broadcast that begins at 5:00 PM Mountain/4:00 PM Pacific.
