OKLAHOMA CITY – Tennessee senior safety Trevon Flowers has been tabbed as one of the 12 semifinalists for the 2022 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, as announced by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame on Monday afternoon.

The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually to the top defensive back in college football. The honor is based on on-field performance, athletic ability and character.

Flowers is one of four semifinalists from the Southeastern Conference, joining Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, Texas A&M’s Antonio Johnson and Georgia’s Christopher Smith.

A complete list of Thorpe Award semifinalists can be found HERE.

The Atlanta native is the seventh player in program history to be named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, joining an impressive list of former Vols that includes Eric Berry (finalist in 2008, winner in 2009), Jason Allen (semifinalist in 2004), Andre Lott (semifinalist in 2000), Dwayne Goodrich (semifinalist in 1999), Deon Grant (finalist in 1999) and Dale Carter (finalist in 1991).

Flowers is one of UT’s top defensive players and leaders on that side of the ball, ranking first on the team with 40 total tackles (24 solo) and two interceptions to go along with a sack and a forced fumble. The preseason All-SEC selection has served as a team captain this season and represented the Big Orange at SEC Media Days back in July.

The award’s selection committee will reconvene on the Sunday following Thanksgiving to select three finalists, who will be announced as part of a special presentation by ESPN on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The award recipient is selected from the three finalists by the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award National Selection Committee, which boasts members of the NCFAA, an Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in-house award committee, former Paycom Jim Thorpe Award recipients, as well as sportswriters and college football journalists throughout the country.

The winner will be announced Thursday, Dec. 8, live on The Home Depot College Football Awards show, which will be televised on ESPN.

-UT Athletics