Georgia CB Brandon Boykin was one of 15 defensive backs named as semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award on Monday.
The 5'10 183 senior, a three year starter for the Bulldogs, has 31 tackles, including 5.5 behind the line of scrimmage, 7 pass deflections, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble so far this season.
On top of his defensive contributions, Boykin has been an excellent return man in his time in Athens, with four career return TD's. Mark Richt has even used him on offense, as his 80-yard TD run was one of the only highlights of Georgia's opening-game loss to Boise State. He's also caught two passes for 14 yards this year.
While the last two Thorpe winners (Eric Berry in 2009 and Patrick Peterson in 2010) have played in the SEC, the Bulldogs have never had a player win one.
Along with Boykin, the conference has six other semifinalists: Antonio Allen (South Carolina), Johnthan Banks (Mississippi State), Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama), Morris Claiborne (LSU) and Casey Hayward (Vanderbilt).
For this season at least, the stereotype of Southern speed seems to ring true, as the only semifinalist not from the SEC, ACC or the Big 12 is USC's Troy McDonald.
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