OKLAHOMA CITY – Redshirt senior safety Jeremy Cash was one of three finalists selected for the Jim Thorpe Award, according to an announcement by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association on Tuesday. The award is given annually to the top defensive back in college football.
Cash is joined by Florida's Vernon Hargreaves III and Iowa's Desmond King as finalists.
A native of Miami, Fla., Cash has already been selected as one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, as well as one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award and one of five for the Pop Warner College Football Award. Cash is also a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Through 11 games this season, Cash has registered 94 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, eight quarterback pressures, four pass breakups, three caused fumbles and five games with 10 or more tackles. Cash ranks second in the ACC in tackles for loss per game (1.64) and caused fumbles, while standing sixth in tackles per game (8.55).
Cash's 1.64 TFL per game are the sixth most nationally. He is the only defensive back in the top 100 nationally in TFL per game. With a 12-tackle performance against Miami, he became the 16th player in Duke history to reach the 300-tackle plateau and currently ranks 14th on Duke's all-time tackle list with 326 career stops.
Among active FBS players, Cash ranks first in caused fumbles (nine), 10th in tackles per game (8.58), 11th in career tackles, 12th in tackles for loss per game (1.00) and 13th in career solo tackles (184).
He was a consensus midseason All-America selection and has been named the FWAA National Defensive Player of the Week, Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week, Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week and two time Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week this season.
This year's Jim Thorpe Award winner will be revealed on ESPN during The Home Depot College Football Awards airing live from The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
The Jim Thorpe Award Banquet will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2016, in Oklahoma City at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Ticket and sponsorship questions should be directed to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame at 405.427.1400.
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