Sophomore Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam is gaining some national recognition heading into his second season in Gainesville. Elam, who appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman last season, has been named to the watch list for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the top defensive back in college football. He was one of 49 secondary players placed on the list.
Elam started five games in 2019, totaling 11 tackles and three interceptions. He was one of just seven true freshmen in the FBS to snag three or more picks last season. With the departure of one of last year’s starting corners in C.J. Henderson, Elam is likely to take over his starting role on the outside.
The list of 49 will be narrowed to 10-15 semifinalists on Nov. 2 before being slimmed to just three finalists on Nov. 16. The winner is set to be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 10.
Here’s the full watch list.
Kaiir Elam | Florida |
Paulson Adebo | Stanford |
Reed Blankenship | Middle Tennessee State |
Eric Burrell | Wisconsin |
Camryn Bynum | California |
T.J. Carter | Memphis |
Andre Cisco | Syracuse |
Kenderick Duncan, Jr. | Georgia Southern |
Greg Eisworth | Iowa State |
Caleb Farley | Virginia Tech |
Paris Ford | Pitt |
Kaleb Ford-Dement | Old Dominion |
Darrick Forrest | Cincinnati |
Ahmad Gardner | Cincinnati |
Thomas Graham, Jr. | Oregon |
Richie Grant | UCF |
Darren Hall | San Diego State |
Brontae Harris | UAB |
Kolby Harvell-Peel | Oklahoma State |
Tyrone Hill | Buffalo |
Jevon Holland | Oregon |
Talanoa Hufanga | USC |
Shaun Jolly | Appalachian State |
Kekaula Kaniho | Boise State |
Derion Kendrick | Clemson |
Richard LeCounte | Georgia |
Trevon Moehrig | TCU |
Elijah Molden | Washington |
Israel Mukuamu | South Carolina |
Hamsah Nasirildeen | Florida State |
Dell Pettus | Troy |
Antonio Phillips | Ball State |
Aaron Robinson | UCF |
Emmanuel Rugamba | Miami (OH) |
Caden Sterns | Texas |
JaCoby Stevens | LSU |
Derek Stingley, Jr. | LSU |
Eric Stokes | Georgia |
Corey Straughter | ULM |
Patrick Surtain II | Alabama |
Ambry Thomas | Michigan |
Tariq Thompson | San Diego State |
Amechi Uzodinma | Ball State |
Shaun Wade | Ohio State |
Lamont Wade | Penn State |
Jalen Walker | Boise State |
Jermaine Waller | Virginia Tech |
Sterling Weatherford | Miami (OH) |
James Wiggins | Cincinnati |
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