AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — An Air Force Academy cadet is getting some national recognition for his work on the football field.
Air Force senior safety Trey Taylor has been named the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Winner.
The award is given to the top defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.
Taylor is the first-ever Jim Thorpe Award recipient from Air Force and only the second Falcon ever to win a major college football award. He joins Chad Hennings, who won the 1987 Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman.
A First-Team All-Mountain West selection, Taylor contributed 71 tackles, three interceptions, four pass break ups and a touchdown and recorded tackles for loss in four games.
Taylor was also honored with year's Defender of the Nation Award, given to a college football player from one of the nation's service academies based on exceptional leadership qualities, performance on and off the field and a high standard of integrity.
The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Paycom will honor Taylor at the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet in Oklahoma City on Feb. 6.
Taylor aspires to play in the NFL but has one more game to play at the college level. Air Force takes on James Madison University in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 23.
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