Michigan State University Athletics
Xavier Henderson Named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
7/25/2022 9:52:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State graduate safety Xavier Henderson has been named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, which is presented annually to the nation's best defensive back by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and the Jim Thorpe Association.
Henderson is one of 35 defensive backs on the preseason watch list based on previous performance and preseason All-America lists. A screening committee consisting of OSHOF members monitors all defensive backs throughout the season, including watch list players, and narrows the field to up to 15 semifinalists in October. The committee reconvenes on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The three finalists are 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.
A four-year letterwinner (2018-21), Henderson leads all active Spartans with 235 tackles, which ranks No. 43 in school history. He also has 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass break-ups and two forced fumbles in 46 career games.
Henderson, who was named a game captain for all 13 games last season and helped lead MSU to an 11-2 record and a New Year's Six bowl win over No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the media after tying for the team lead with a career-high 96 tackles, including a career-best 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. His 96 stops ranked tied for 11th most in the Big Ten. Henderson recorded a TFL in nine games with a career-high two in the season opener at Northwestern. He also had a career-high 17 tackles vs. Nebraska, the most by a Spartan since 2016.
The Reynoldsburg, Ohio, native tallied 41 stops during his third season at MSU in a shortened seven-game schedule in 2020 and ranked second on the team with 83 tackles as a sophomore in 2019, including two interceptions and five pass break-ups. As a true freshman in 2018, he primarily played on special teams, collecting 15 tackles.
The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following The Home Depot College Football Awards. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries. Former Michigan State All-America cornerback Darqueze Dennard became the first Spartan to win the Jim Thorpe Award in 2013.
Henderson is one of 35 defensive backs on the preseason watch list based on previous performance and preseason All-America lists. A screening committee consisting of OSHOF members monitors all defensive backs throughout the season, including watch list players, and narrows the field to up to 15 semifinalists in October. The committee reconvenes on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select three award finalists. The three finalists are 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.
A four-year letterwinner (2018-21), Henderson leads all active Spartans with 235 tackles, which ranks No. 43 in school history. He also has 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass break-ups and two forced fumbles in 46 career games.
Henderson, who was named a game captain for all 13 games last season and helped lead MSU to an 11-2 record and a New Year's Six bowl win over No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by the media after tying for the team lead with a career-high 96 tackles, including a career-best 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. His 96 stops ranked tied for 11th most in the Big Ten. Henderson recorded a TFL in nine games with a career-high two in the season opener at Northwestern. He also had a career-high 17 tackles vs. Nebraska, the most by a Spartan since 2016.
The Reynoldsburg, Ohio, native tallied 41 stops during his third season at MSU in a shortened seven-game schedule in 2020 and ranked second on the team with 83 tackles as a sophomore in 2019, including two interceptions and five pass break-ups. As a true freshman in 2018, he primarily played on special teams, collecting 15 tackles.
The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following The Home Depot College Football Awards. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries. Former Michigan State All-America cornerback Darqueze Dennard became the first Spartan to win the Jim Thorpe Award in 2013.
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