Longhorns Country

Texas Longhorns' Jahdae Barron Wins Jim Thorpe Award

Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron has officially won the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award.
Zach Dimmitt|
Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron (7) celebrates a defensive stop during the game against Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Texas Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron (7) celebrates a defensive stop during the game against Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns cornerback Jahdae Barron is officially solidified in college football history.

Barron was announced as the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award during ESPN's College Football Awards show on Thursday. He beat out a three-man field that also included Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs and Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks. The award annually honors the best defensive back in college football.

This marks the third time a Texas player has won the award, tied for the most in the country.

Both current and former Longhorns have been campaigning this season for Barron to be named the Thorpe Award winner. Michael Taaffe and Andrew Mukuba have helped drive this movement with "Jahdae For Thorpe" t-shirts that eventually made its to way to the NFL and former Texas receiver Xavier Worthy. Taaffe and Mukuba were both standing behind Barron during his interview with ESPN.

"These are my brothers right here," Barron said after the win over Kentucky. "At the end of the day, if I do win that award like that's their award, too. They push me to a point I thought I couldn't be pushed. Sometimes when I was down, they were there to push me up like a brother, and they continue to push me, and I'm continuing to push them. So I love these guys."

This season, Barron has posted 47 total tackles (32 solo), one sack, one fumble recovery, nine pass breakups and five interceptions. He entered the 2024 campaign with three career interceptions. Three of Barron's picks this season have come against Georgia.

Barron and the rest of the senior class expected that win over Kentucky to be their final home game at DKR, but the College Football Playoff had other ideas. No. 5 Texas will host No. 12 Clemson in Austin for the first round of the CFP on Saturday, Dec. 21.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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