Blanding Named a Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Oct. 23, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia free safety Quin Blanding has been named a semfinialist for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, announced the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Blanding is one of 13 semifinalists, three of which are from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Blanding (Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.) is No. 1 in the ACC and No. 7 in the nation with 10.6 tackles per game. He has accumulated double-digit tackles in five of UVA’s seven games this season and 23 times in 43 career games. Blanding has also been named ACC Defensive Back of the Week twice in 2017. He was also recently named a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

With 432 career tackles, Blanding is No. 1 among all active FBS players and tied for No. 2 all-time at UVA for career tackles with Charles McDaniel. Blanding needs four tackles to pass Jamie Sharper and become the career leader at UVA in tackles.

Florida State’s Derwin James and Duke’s Jeremy McDuffie are the other two ACC players named Jim Thorpe Award semifinalists.

The Paycom 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. Thorpe excelled at every sport in which he competed, including football at which he played on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The three Thorpe Award finalists will be named on Monday, Nov. 20 and the winner will be announced at the live Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7, airing on ESPN. The winner of the 2017 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award will be honored at a banquet in Oklahoma City on Feb. 6, 2018.

PAYCOM JIM THORPE AWARD SEMIFINALISTS
Marcus Allen, Penn State
Quin Blanding, Virginia
Jalen Davis, Utah State
DeShon Elliott, Texas
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Grant Haley, Penn State
Derwin James, Florida State
Jeremy McDuffie, Duke
Parry Nickerson, Tulane
Justin Reid, Stanford
Dominick Sanders, Georgia
Levi Wallace, Alabama
Denzel Ward, Ohio State