Carswell Thorpe Award Candidate

Aug. 23, 2000

Oklahoma City, OK – Clemson safety Robert Carswell is one of 40 players named to this year’s preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award. The Thorpe Award has been presented annually since 1986 to the best defensive back in college football.

This is the second straight year Carswell has been named to the preseason list. Carswell was a first-team All-ACC selection last year and has been named a first-team All-American by eight different services this summer.

A native of Stone Mountain, GA, Carswell needs just 13 tackles to break Terry Kinard’s Clemson record for tackles by a defensive back. He has 282 heading into this season. A year ago, Carswell had six interceptions to rank in a tie for 10th in the nation.

Other ACC defensive backs on the list include Tay Cody of Florida State, Derrick Gibson of Florida State, and Errol Hood of North Carolina.