Tulane’s Jarius Monroe named to the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tulane senior cornerback Jarius Monroe has been named to the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Jim Thorpe Association announced on Thursday.

The preseason watch list is selected by a screening committee whose members compile a list of up to 50 players based on previous performance in NCAA Division I college football and preseason All-America lists. This list is not final, and players who have outstanding seasons may be added to the semifinalists and finalists lists as the season progresses.
The full list consists of 35 of the best defensive backs in the country. Monroe is the only player from AAC named to the watch list this season. All 10 FBS conferences as well as a football independent are represented on the list.

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.

Monroe was First Team All-AAC last season. He led the team and ranked 10th in the conference in interceptions. He placed sixth overall on the squad with his 49 tackles while playing in 14 games with six starts. He also intercepted 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

Earlier in the summer, Tulane was voted as the preseason favorite in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the annual media poll. The program also has preseason candidates for the Rimington Trophy (Sincere Haynesworth), the Paul Hornung Award (Jha’Quan Jackson), the Wuerffel Trophy (Michael Pratt), the Patrick Mannelly Award (Ethan Hudak), the Maxwell Award (Michael Pratt), the Outland Trophy (Haynesworth and Prince Pines), the Bronko Nagurski Award (Darius Hodges and Monroe) and the Davey O’Brien Award (Pratt). The program also was voted No. 23 nationally in the USA TODAY SPORTS / AFCA Preseason Coaches Poll.

This season, Tulane brings back four of the team’s five starters on the offensive line (Sincere Haynesworth, Prince Pines, Josh Remetich, Rashad Green), two of the team’s top three rushers (Michael Pratt and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson), the starting quarterback (Pratt), two of the top four receivers (Jha’Quan Jackson and Lawrence Keys III), the team’s punter (Casey Glover), the team’s kicker (Valentino Ambrosio), the team’s leader in interceptions (Jarius Monroe) and three of the five leading defensive players in tackles for loss (Patrick Jenkins, Darius Hodges and Keith Cooper Jr.).

In 2022, Tulane’s football team completed an unprecedented 12-2 campaign, culminating with an American Athletic Conference title and a 46-45 win over USC in the Cotton Bowl. At season’s end, the Green Wave finished with a ninth overall ranking, the second-highest in program history. Tulane opens the 2023 season at Yulman Stadium hosting South Alabama on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.

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Tickets for the upcoming football and volleyball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

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2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List

Micah Abraham, Marshall, Sr.
Yam Banks, South Alabama, Jr.
Cole Bishop, Utah, Jr.
Cobee Bryant, Kansas, Jr.
Calen Bullock, USC, Jr.
Denzel Burke, Ohio State, Jr.
Fentrell Cypress II, Florida State, Jr.
Cooper DeJean, Iowa, Jr.
Tra Fluellen, Middle Tennessee, Sr.
Marcus Fuqua, Buffalo, Sr.
Jack Howell, Colorado State, Jr.
Will Johnson, Michigan, So.
Kamren Kinchens, Miami (FL), Jr.
Kalen King, Penn State, Jr.
Ike Larsen, Utah State, So.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama, Jr.
Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo, Jr.
Jarius Monroe, Tulane, Sr.
Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame, So.
Andrew Mukuba, Clemson, Jr.
Josh Newton, TCU, Sr.
Tyler Nubin, Minnesota, Sr.
Lathan Ransom, Ohio State, Sr.
Demani Richardson, Texas A&M, Sr.
Willie Roberts, Louisiana Tech, Sr.
Teldrick Ross, Middle Tennessee, Sr.
Kobe Savage, Kansas State, Sr.
Jay Stanley, Southern Miss, Sr.
Malaki Starks, Georgia, So.
Reddy Steward, Troy, Sr.
Cameron Stone, Hawaii, Sr.
Upton Stout, Western Kentucky, So.
TJ Tampa, Iowa State, Sr.
Trey Taylor, Air Force, Sr.
Aydan White, NC State, Jr.

By Conference
AAC (1), ACC (4), Big Ten (6), Big 12 (4), C-USA (4), Independent (1), MAC (2), MW (4), PAC-12 (2), SEC (3), Sun Belt (4)

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.