The Jim Thorpe Award watchlist is derived through a point system based on All-American teams and Honorable Mentions published in at least six preseason football magazines. A candidate must be listed as high as third-team All-American in at least one publication or as a fourth team or honorable mention in at least three of these publications.
The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists the first Monday of November and then to three finalists on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The winner is announced on ESPN's College Football Awards Show live from Disney World on Thursday Dec. 7. The official presentation will take place in Oklahoma City on February 12th.
This list is not final. Players not on the list who have exceptional seasons may be added at a later date.
| Name | School | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Bennett | S. Carolina | Sr | CB |
| Joe Burnett | UCF | So | CB |
| Bobby Blackshire | Tulsa | Sr | FS |
| Antoine Cason | Arizona | Jr | CB |
| Zack Catanese | Arizona State | Sr | S |
| Marquice Cole | Northwestern | Sr | CB |
| Joe Garcia | Nevada | Sr | CB |
| Josh Gattis | Wake Forest | Sr | FS |
| Nick Graham | Tulsa | Sr | CB |
| Michael Griffin | Texas | Sr | SS |
| Leon Hall | Michigan | Sr | CB |
| Marcus Hamilton | Virginia | Sr | CB |
| Daymeion Hughes | California | Sr | CB |
| David Irons | Auburn | Sr | CB |
| LaRon Landry | LSU | Sr | FS |
| Dwight Lowery | San Jose State | Jr | CB |
| Marcus McCauley | Fresno State | Sr | CB |
| J.D. Nelson | Oregon | Sr | FS |
| Reggie Nelson | Florida | Sr | FS |
| David Overstreet | Missouri | Sr | FS |
| Sabby Piscitelli | Oregon State | Sr | SS |
| Kenny Phillips | Miami (FL) | So | SS |
| Darrelle Revis | Pittsburgh | Jr | CB |
| Roderick Rogers | Wisconsin | Sr | FS |
| Reggie Smith | Oklahoma | So | CB |
| Wesley Smith | Memphis | Sr | FS |
| Joe Sturdivant | SMU | Sr | SS |
| John Talley | Duke | Sr | CB |
| Eric Weddle | Utah | Sr | SS |
| John Wending | Wyoming | Sr | FS |
| Eric Wicks | West Virginia | Sr | SS |
| C.J. Wilson | Baylor | Sr | CB |
| Tom Zbikowski | Notre Dame | Jr | SS |