Arizona Wildcats junior cornerback Tacario Davis was named a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist on Tuesday. The national award is given annually to the top defensive back in college football.Β
Davis leads the Wildcats this season in pass breakups (5), which he recorded in Arizona's upset win over No. 10 Utah. Davis also has 29 tackles in eight games this season.Β
Following his performance against Utah, Davis was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and the Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week.
Davis is projected to land at No. 24 in the first round of the NFL Draft, according to ESPN's latest mock draft. The last UA defensive back to go in the first round of the NFL Draft is Antoine Cason in 2008; he's also the last Wildcat to win the Jim Thorpe Award.Β
Arizona (3-5) faces UCF (3-5) in Orlando on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on FS1.Β
