Jeff Brohm

Louisville's Kaleb Beasley, Oklahoma's Peyton Bowen among 15 Thorpe Award semifinalists originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Louisville's Kaleb Beasley, Oklahoma's Peyton Bowen and Cal's Kingston Lopa and are among 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the best defensive back in the FBS.

Beasley and Lopa are tied for the national lead with five interception

Bowen has one of the most memorable plays among the remaining contenders, a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown that helped the Sooners defeat then-No. 1 Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Oct. 10.

"He got tremendous range, natural instincts when the ball's in the air," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. "My favorite part of watching him is just how he's developed consistency-wise as a tackler. How he tracks the ball and closes space -- very elite."

Peyton Bowen pulls down the pick six for the Sooner lead! 📺: ABC || @SEC https://t.co/UIwRXu6CQ4

— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) October 10, 2026

UCLA's Ta'Shawn James and Kentucky's Jordan Castell both have four interceptions and remain contenders for the award.

Another semifinalist, New Mexico safety Austin Brawley, has three interceptions. He leads the nation's defensive backs with two touchdowns and 132 interception return yards.

AGENT ZERO 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗞 6⃣ 😱 @BrawleyAustin 📺 @TheCW_Sports https://t.co/HcZegkkHz9

— New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) October 25, 2026

MORE:Heisman Watch heading into Week 9

The finalists will be announced Nov. 24. The winner will be announced Dec. 11.

Here are the semifinalists:

Kaleb Beasley, Louisville
KJ Bolden, Georgia
Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma
Austin Brawley, New Mexico
Jordan Castell, Kentucky
Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami
Robert Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Brent Gordon, Louisiana
Ashton Hampton, Clemson
Ta'Shawn James, UCLA
Kingston Lopa, Cal
Jalen Mayo, Houston
Jaylen McClain, Ohio State
Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
Brice Pollock, Texas Tech

More College Football news:

  • G6 Playoff Contenders
  • Former OU QBs Hawkins, Arnold putting up numbers elsewhere
  • Isaac Brown's big game leads Louisville past Florida State
  • Oklahoma Sooners football schedule and results
  • New Mexico's nation-leading scoring defense has Lobos in playoff conversation

Source: Yahoo Sports