Vonn Bell a Thorpe Award semifinalist – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 26, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State junior safety Vonn Bell was today named as one of 16 semifinalists for the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football.
Bell, from Rossville, Ga., and Ridgeland High School, leads the Buckeyes and ranks seventh in the Big Ten Conference with nine passes defended, a total that includes eight pass break-ups and one interception. He also ranks fourth on the squad with 39 tackles. He had a career-high 10 tackles, including a career-best eight solo tackles, in the win over Northern Illinois. His big plays this season include a 14-yard fumble return touchdown in the win over Hawaii.
The Buckeye defense is fifth nationally in both passing yards allowed (149.2) and pass efficiency defense (96.6 rating). The team is also first in the Big Ten with nine interceptions.
The Thorpe Award is named after history’s greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe, and is presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association in Oklahoma City.
Three Thorpe Award finalists will be named Monday, November 23rd and the winner will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 10th airing on ESPN. The winner of the 2015 Thorpe Award will be honored at a banquet in Oklahoma City on February 2, 2016.
