Barnes Named Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week

The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award announced today that safety Khalil Barnes has been named as the Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week for his performance in Clemson’s 16-7 win at South Carolina. More information from award organizers is included below.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Clemson’s Khalil Barnes earns this season’s final Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week honor after becoming the first Tiger to record takeaways on consecutive plays since Brian Dawkins accomplished the feat back in 1995. Barnes contributed to the win by returning a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown, recording an interception 35 seconds later, and also adding four tackles and a pair of PBU’s in the victory.

Week 13 Honorable Mentions

Kam Pedescleaux, Tulane
Pedescleaux recorded six tackles, a pair of PBU’s and a forced fumble to lead a Tulane defense that collected five takeaways in their win over UTSA. Pedescleaux also tipped a pass on UTSA’s opening possession that resulted in an interception.

Trey Rucker, Oklahoma State
Rucker recorded a pair of fumble recoveries in the Cowboys’ OT win over BYU, including one in the extra frame. Rucker also added six tackles in the victory.

This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday, with the Thorpe Award releasing a comprehensive listing including honorable mentions each Thursday 11am CST/Noon EST.

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA includes college football’s most prestigious awards and its 24 awards have honored more than 900 recipients dating back to 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday. For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit the redesigned NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA.

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.

Paycom Software, Inc. (“Paycom”) (NYSE:PAYC), 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.”

2023 THORPE AWARD NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week 1 (Sep. 2)…………Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
Week 2 (Sep. 9)…………Alex Johnson, UCLA
Week 3 (Sep. 16)……….Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
Week 4 (Sep. 23)……….Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
Week 5 (Sep. 30)……….Jakob Robinson, BYU
Week 6 (Oct. 7)………….Devin Grant, Buffalo
Week 7 (Oct. 14)………..M.J. Devonshire, Pitt
Week 8 (Oct. 21)………..Jakob Robinson, BYU
Week 9 (Oct. 28)………..Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
Week 10 (Nov. 4)……….Jordan Hancock, Ohio State
Week 11 (Nov. 11)………Tarheeb Still, Maryland
Week 12 (Nov. 18)………Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
Week 13 (Nov. 25)………Khalil Barnes, Clemson