Notre Dame Safety Alohi Gilman Named To Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
The preseason recognition for the Notre Dame football team continues, with senior safety Alohi Gilman being named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. The honor goes annually to the nation's top defensive back. Gilman was one of 46 players named to the preseason watch list.
Gilman finished the 2018 season with 94 tackles, five pass break ups, two interceptions and three forced fumbles. His seven passes defensed was more than the entire Notre Dame safety depth chart in 2017. Gilman made a name for himself by making a number of clutch plays for the Irish, which earned him Pro Football Focus All-American honors last fall.
The award was first handed out in 1986, but no Notre Dame player has ever won the honor. It was named after Jim Thorpe, who played at Carlisle from 1907 to 1911. Thorpe is a member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames, but also played professional baseball and participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Five Notre Dame opponents made the list: Stanford's Paulson Adebo, Virginia's Bryce Hall, Michigan's Lavert Hill and Josh Metellus, and Georgia's JR Reed.
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