Texas DB Jahdae Barron Wins Jim Thorpe Award Ahead of College Football Playoff
The Texas Longhorns have been racking up awards this week as offensive tackle Kevin Banks Jr. has already taken home both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. He's not alone.
Senior defensive back Jahdae Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award on Thursday, beating out Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Georgia's Malaki Starks for the honor. Barron became the third UT player in history to win the award, making the Longhorns the first program with three Thorpe Award winners. He joins Michael Huff (2005) and Aaron Ross (2006) on the list of players to bring the trophy back to the Forty Acres.
As a fifth-year senior, Barron followed up a strong 2023 campaign with an even stronger one this season as the Longhorns made the jump to the SEC. The Austin native was dominant throughout the fall and played an integral role in Texas reaching the SEC Championship Game and earning a first-round home game against Clemson in the College Football Playoff.
He finished the year with 47 tackles, nine passes defensed, five interceptions, and a sack. Those numbers earned him First-Team All-SEC honors earlier in the week and now he gets to claim the title of the nation's top DB for the 2024 season.
Barron and the Longhorns are currently prepping for their aforementioned playoff matchup against Clemson on Saturday, December 21. He and his teammates will be going up against fellow Austin native Cade Klubnik and will be tasked with shutting down top Tigers wide receiver Antonio Williams.
