Miami's Bryce Fitzgerald Named a Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Miami sophomore defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald is one of 15 semifinalists for the 2026 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back. The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association announced the list Tuesday, the university reported. Three finalists will be named Nov. 24, so Fitzgerald has three more games to make his case, beginning Saturday at North Carolina.

He is one of four ACC players on the list, and one of four sophomores, Sports Illustrated noted. Louisville safety Kaleb Beasley and Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton are among the other conference names. The honor reflects how much Fitzgerald's role has changed. Miami's secondary has lost Xavier Lucas, Damari Brown, OJ Frederique Jr. and Ja'Boree Antoine to injuries, and Roundtable Sports reports that the Miami native moved from safety to cornerback to fill the gap.

His numbers this season are modest for a ballhawk: 18 tackles, one tackle for loss, three pass breakups among four passes defended, and one interception. That interception ended the Florida State game. With the rivalry in double overtime, the Seminoles faced fourth-and-31, and Ashton Daniels threw deep for 6-foot-6 receiver Duce Robinson. Fitzgerald went up over Robinson and took the ball away to finish a 43-35 win. Roundtable Sports reported that the play drew some controversy and that Fitzgerald was playing through an upper-body injury at the time.

The award voters will also know his freshman season. Fitzgerald led the ACC with six interceptions in 2025, two of them in the first-round playoff win over Texas A&M, including a fourth-quarter pick at the goal line that sent Miami to the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal. Miami has had one Thorpe winner: Bennie Blades shared the 1987 award with Oklahoma's Rickey Dixon.

What it means for North Carolina

Miami is 7-0 and has scored at least 33 points in every game. It is coming off a 52-23 win over Pittsburgh, a week after the overtime game against Florida State. Only two opponents have finished within 14 points of the Hurricanes: Florida State and Wake Forest, which lost 33-20. Pittsburgh and Florida State combined for 58 points against Miami in the last two weeks, which puts a patched secondary, with Fitzgerald at its center, under scrutiny when Miami visits Chapel Hill on Saturday night on ABC.

The venues on this site's board agree that Miami should win, but they disagree on how likely that is. Miami is favored at -590 on the moneyline at Novig. Kalshi has the best Miami price at -263, an unusually wide gap between venues for a moneyline. North Carolina is +525 at Novig. The spread is Miami -14.5 at Novig, and Pinnacle has North Carolina at +15 for anyone looking for the extra half-point. The total is 52.5 at Novig, with theScore Bet at 53.5 for the under. Sportsbook hold on the game runs from 3.3% to 7.0%.

With all four injured defensive backs still out, much of the secondary's work falls to Fitzgerald. A strong night against the Tar Heels would help both Miami's unbeaten record and his place in the Thorpe race.