Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback Riley Moss named to 2022 Jim Thorpe Award watch list
Iowa cornerback Riley Moss recently was named on the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award.
The Jim Thorpe award is one of the most prestigious in all of college football, awarded to the best defensive back in the nation since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. It is of course named after the great Jim Thorpe.
A little history lesson here for those who don’t know. Jim Thorpe is one of the biggest reasons why football is as popular as it is today. Back in his day, there was not an athlete more famous than Thorpe, certainly not one as great.
Jim Thorpe won the gold medal in pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics and was one of the best to ever step foot on the gridiron. He was a two-time NCAA All-American, was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. He also served as the first president for what would become the NFL. There are few names that hold more weight in football than Jim Thorpe.
There are only a select few awards in college football more prestigious than the Jim Thorpe Award and, for a defensive back, perhaps none that are grander. Some past recipients include Deion Sanders, Charles Woodson, Patrick Peterson, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Former Hawkeye Desmond King won the award back in 2015 and is still the only Iowa player to do so.
Last year, Riley Moss proved he was the best defensive back in the Big Ten, earning the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. This year, his goal is to bring home the Thorpe as the best defensive back in the nation. He came close last year, finishing as a semifinalist, but now he has one last chance to earn it in his senior year.
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