OM’ Prewitt Named Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Photo courtesy of Seph Anderson / HottyToddy.com

OXFORD, Miss. – Cody Prewitt, who has made big plays for the Ole Miss defense all season long, has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the 2013 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football.

A junior free safety from Bay Springs, Miss., Prewitt leads Ole Miss in interceptions (4), passes defended (9) and forced fumbles (2) and is second on the team in tackles (48). His four interceptions top all SEC players, and he ranks 11th nationally with 0.5 picks per outing. He is tied for fourth in the SEC in fumbles forced per game (0.25) and tied for fifth in passes defended per game (1.12). Prewitt’s interception late in the Vanderbilt game sealed an SEC road victory for the Rebels, while he also has intercepted passes against Southeast Missouri, No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 LSU.

Prewitt is one of three Southeastern Conference players named a Thorpe Award semifinalist, along with Alabama’s Landon Collins and Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves.

Of the 15 semifinalists, nine are seniors, and Prewitt is one of the six that are not.

The Thorpe Award is named after one of history’s greatest athletes, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and 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 three Thorpe Award finalists will be named on Monday, Nov. 25 and the winner will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 12 airing on ESPN. The winner of the 2013 Thorpe Award will be honored at a banquet in Oklahoma City on Feb. 4, 2014.

THORPE AWARD SEMIFINALISTS

C.J. Barnett, Senior, Ohio State

Deone Bucannon, Senior, Washington State

Landon Collins, Sophomore, Alabama

Aaron Colvin, Senior, Oklahoma

Darqueze Dennard, Senior, Michigan State

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Junior, Oregon

Kyle Fuller, Senior, Virginia Tech

Vernon Hargreaves, Freshman, Florida

Lamarcus Joyner, Senior, Florida State

Steven Nelson, Junior, Oregon State

Cody Prewitt, Junior, Ole Miss

Calvin Pryor, Junior, Louisville

Jason Verrett, Senior, TCU

Jimmie Ward, Senior, N. Illinois

Ty Zimmerman, Senior, Kansas State

The Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 21 awards boast 678 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more.

— Joey Jones, Ole Miss Sports Information