Watch-list season is officially upon us. Most of college football's individual awards will be releasing preseason watch lists wrapping up July 19 with the Walter Camp Award watch list.
The Jim Thorpe Award, established in 1986, is named for legendary football star and multi-sport Olympian Jim Thorpe. He was an outstanding running back, passer, kicker and defensive back -- the focus of the annual award.
The 2013 watch list includes 48 defensive backs from across the country, chosen by a screening committee. The Thorpe Award will be given to one of three finalists at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 12.
The Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 lead the way among all conferences, with eight selections each. The watch list does not favor the SEC -- only four selections -- but history does. Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks won the award in 2012, adding to a streak of SEC players that includes LSU's Morris Claiborne (2011) and Patrick Peterson (2010) plus Tennessee's Eric Berry (2009).
Check out the full list below. Remember, names can be added or removed from this list during the first weeks of the season. There are no official "snubs" quite yet.
S Kenneth Acker, SMU
CB Ricardo Allen, Purdue
S Dion Bailey, USC
S C.J. Barnett, Ohio State
S Bene Benwikere, San Jose State
S Nat Berhe, San Diego State
S Tre Boston, North Carolina
S Christian Bryan, Ohio State
S Deone Bucannon, Washington State
S Kevin Byard, Middle Tennessee
CB Carrington Byndom, Texas
S Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern
S Sam Carter, TCU
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
CB Ross Cockrell, Duke
S Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma
S Alden Darby, Arizona State
CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State
CB Quandre Diggs, Texas
S Ahmad Dixon, Baylor
S Jonathan Dowling, Western Kentucky
CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
CB Ciante Evans, Nebraska
CB Antone Exum, Virginia Tech
CB Phillip Gaines, Rice
S Andre Hal, Vanderbilt
S Najja Johnson, Buffalo
S L. J. Jones, Fresno State
S Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
S Isaiah Lewis, Michigan State
S Craig Loston, Louisiana State
S Daytawion Lowe, Oklahoma State
S Terrance Mitchell, Oregon
S Marco Nelson, Tulsa
S Isaiah Newsome, ULM
CB Dayonne Nunley, Miami (Ohio)
S Calvin Pryor, Louisville
S Ed Reynolds, Stanford
CB Rashaad Reynolds, Oregon State
S Jordan Richards, Stanford
CB Bradley Roby, Ohio State
S Derron Smith, Fresno State
S Hakeem Smith, Louisville
CB Damian Swann, Georgia
CB Jason Verrett TCU
S Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois
S Deron Wilson, Southern Miss
S Ty Zimmerman, Kansas State
