Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association Proudly Reveal the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award 2026 Semifinalists

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 27, 2026--

Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association today released the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award semifinalists. This list includes 15 of the nation’s best defensive backs, representing six conferences and one independent university. The semifinalists are selected by a screening committee whose members compile a list of up to 15 players based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. This list is not final, and unlisted players who continually have outstanding performances as the season progresses may be recognized as one of the three finalists.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261027240948/en/

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award’s 2026 semifinalist candidates are revealed alphabetically by last name with university, position and class year noted.

2026 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalists

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Committee will reconvene on the Sunday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The award finalists will be announced as part of a special presentation Nov. 24 by ESPN.

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.

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. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is universally accepted as one of the nation’s top collegiate sports honors.

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored nearly 1,000 recipients since 1935. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA and Instagram at @TheNCFAA.

Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Important Dates

Tue., Nov. 24: Finalists announced at 11 a.m. CST/noon EST

The 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 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.

Fri., Dec. 11: Winner announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards

The winner will be announced on the ESPN live presentation of The Home Depot College Football Awards at 7 p.m. EST. Other recognized NCFAA awards announced include the Bednarik Award, Biletnikoff Award, Lou Groza Award, Ray Guy Award, Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Outland Trophy, Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award and others.

Tue., Feb. 9, 2027: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet honoring the 2026 Winner in Oklahoma City

The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following The Home Depot College Football Awards. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries.

For more information on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and past award recipients, please visitoklahomasportshalloffame.org.

Paycom Software, Inc. (NYSE: PAYC) (“Paycom”), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software, and the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame jointly announced in May 2017 an exclusive sponsorship of the Jim Thorpe Award. As a result, the accolade has been named the “Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.”

Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association today released the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award semifinalists.

An escaped Tennessee inmate convicted of murdering a co-worker stole a truck from a nearby farm and apparently made it to southern Illinois before abandoning it, authorities said Tuesday.

Jacob Morley, who was serving a life sentence for killing a co-worker four years ago, was found to be missing from the Northwest Correctional Complex late on Sunday.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released surveillance video from the farm, which is near Tiptonville and about a 2-mile (3-kilometer) walk through fields from the prison, showing Morley open the truck's unlocked driver's side door and drive off at around 1 a.m. Monday.

Firefighters in Hornbeak, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of the farm, said on social media that investigators confirmed their cameras captured footage of the truck driving by their station about 15 minutes later.

The truck was found abandoned Tuesday in Marion, Illinois, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of the prison and roughly 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, but Tennessee investigators said Morley still hadn't been found.

Authorities said Morley, 28, slipped through a fence in his prison clothes, but they haven't released additional details, including whether they think anyone helped him.

Morley is white, 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and weighs 240 pounds (109 kilograms). He has brown hair and green eyes.

Morley is serving a life sentence for killing co-worker Cody Birchfield in 2022. Birchfield’s body was found in a box under Morley’s home after he had been missing for a few weeks. The two lived in Carter County, in eastern Tennessee.

Along with first-degree murder, Morley was convicted of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism and evading arrest. When Morley saw deputies at his home, he led officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina, authorities said.

Prison officials have offered a reward of up to $2,500 for Morley's arrest. They said law enforcement agencies have searched buildings and other structures near the prison, which is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Memphis in flat farmland near a bend in the Mississippi River.

Several violent attacks between inmates and by employees have been reported in recent years at Northwest Correctional Complex. A grand jury in July returned dozens of indictments for five inmate killings and other violent acts.

Northwest Correctional Complex can house 1,776 men and can house minors who have been convicted as adults, according to the Department of Correction.

This booking photo released by the Tennessee Department of Corrections on July 24, 2025, shows Jacob Morley. (Tennessee Department of Corrections via AP)