HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss junior cornerback
Deron Wilson was named to the 2012 Preseason Watch List for the Jim Thorpe
award, given to the top defensive back in college football, the Jim Thorpe
Association announced on Friday.
Wilson, a New Orleans native, earned All-Conference USA
honors last season after starting all 14 games to extend his streak of
consecutive starts to 27. He ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 75 (48
solo, 27 assisted) and intercepted a team-high four passes.
Wilson returned two INTs for touchdowns and led the team in
passes defended with 17 and broken up with 13. He also became the NCAA's active
career leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns with four.
The list is comprised of the 35 of the best defensive backs
in college and includes three other C-USA players, including Dexter McCoil of
Tulsa, Kemal Ishmael of UCF and D.J. Hayden of Houston.
The Thorpe Award is named after one of history's greatest
athletes, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Jim Thorpe Association in
Oklahoma City. Thorpe excelled at every sport in which he competed, including
football at which he played on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
The 2012 Olympics mark the 100-year anniversary of Thorpe winning gold in the
decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.
The Jim Thorpe Award watch list is chosen by a screening
committee which compiles a list of 30-40 players each year. The list is not
final and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season
progresses. The Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will
be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 6, 2012 on
ESPN.
