IRVING, Texas – Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant was named Thursday as the winner of the 2021 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in college football.
 
Bryant becomes the second member of Cincinnati’s 13-0 team to earn one of college football’s national individual honors, joining head coach Luke Fickell, who was named earlier in the week as the Home Depot Coach of the Year.
 
Bryant is the first American Athletic Conference player to win the Jim Thorpe Award and the latest player from The American to win national honors since the conference’s formation in 2013. He was the first-place choice on 49.65% of the ballots, which also included finalists Verone McKinely III of Oregon and Jalen Pitre of Baylor.
 
A first team all-conference selection in 2020 and 2021, Bryant enters the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl with 41 tackles, three forced fumbles, three interceptions, 11 pass breakups and 14 passes defended. He is part of a Bearcat secondary that leads the nation in pass efficiency defense (100.47) and has held opponents to 53.5% completion rate.
 
Bryant was one of two American Athletic Conference players named to the Walter Camp All-America team announced Thursday, joining South Florida return specialist Brian Battie.
 
Other American Athletic Conference players to be honored by the National College Football Awards Association since 2013 include former Temple linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who won the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player in 2015, and former Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins, who won both of those awards in 2020. Former Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver was the 2017 winner of the Outland Trophy as the top interior lineman. Memphis has had three winners since The American was formed – Tom Hornsey was the Ray Guy Award winner as the top punter in 2013; running back Kenneth Gainwell was the FWAA Freshman of the Year in 2019; and quarterback Brady White won the Campbell Trophy as the top scholar-athlete in 2020.