University of Hawai'i senior cornerback Cortez Davis is among the preseason candidates for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which annually recognizes college football's outstanding defensive back and is presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association.
 
Davis is included on an elite list of 40 defensive backs who made the preseason watch list. Other Mountain West players on the list include Kekaula Kaniho (Boise State), Jerrick Reed II (New Mexico), and Berdale Robins (Nevada). Davis is the third Rainbow Warrior so far to appear on a national award watch list, joining teammates Darius Muasau (Bednarik) and Calvin Turner Jr. (Doak Walker).
 
The native of Decatur, Ga., enters his third season with the Rainbow Warriors after earning all-conference accolades in each of his first two years. He has started 21 of 23 career games at UH, playing the vital role of the team's shutdown corner. In two seasons, he has registered 15 pass-breakups and returned his lone interception for a touchdown in a road win at UNLV. Last week he was named to the preseason all-Mountain West first team.
 
A field of 10 to 15 semifinalists for the award will be announced  on October 25.  The award committee reconvenes on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The three finalists are then submitted to a national panel of over 250 sports writers, sportscasters, former players and coaches who vote to determine the winner of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. The winner will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
 
Given annually to college football's top defensive back, the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is one of the National College Football Awards Association's most coveted honors. Established in 1986, the award recognizes performance on the field, athletic ability and character, in accordance with its namesake.
 
A native Oklahoman who excelled in several sports, Thorpe garnered many accolades, including two Olympic gold medals in track and field. During his football career, Thorpe played running back, punter and placekicker, but shined as a defensive back. One of the most versatile athletes in sports history, he was named the "greatest athlete" of the first half of the 20th century by the Associated Press.