TAMPA, FLA., July 30, 2025 – USF Football cornerback De’Shawn Rucker has been named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List, which includes 35 of the nation’s best defensive backs.
The Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
In his first season with the Bulls in 2024, Rucker started 11 games, missing two due to injury, and proved to be a dynamic force on defense. The Tennessee transfer posted 42 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hurries and a forced fumble on the year and left his mark with several big hits on opponents. He posted a career-best 10 tackles at Alabama as the Bulls challenged the No. 4-ranked Crimson Tide in a one-score game late in the fourth quarter.
Rucker is one of three players from the American Conference to earn recognition on the watch list. He was earlier named one of three Bulls to be recognized on the Shrine Bowl 1000, the preseason watch list for the East-West Shrine Bowl college all-star game.
SOUTH FLORIDA 2025 AWARD WATCH LIST MEMBERS
• Thorpe Award – De’Shawn Rucker
• Shrine Bowl 1000 – Byrum Brown, De’Shawn Rucker & Jahlyn Shuler
• All-State AFCA Good Works Team – Alex Golesh
• All-State AFCA Good Works Team – Christian Helms
The Bulls will open their third season under head coach Alex Golesh in a nationally televised game on ESPN on Thursday, Aug. 28, vs. Boise State. That game is set for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff at Raymond James Stadium. USF, which is one of 15 programs to have won a bowl or playoff game in each of the last two seasons, returns 12 starters in 2025 (six on offense and six on defense).
Up Next:
USF will hold the annual Kickoff Luncheon on Aug. 20 at Armature Works in downtown Tampa. The annual event will feature head coach Alex Golesh and the entire USF team and coaching staff. Public tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Tickets:
Season tickets for the 2025 USF football season tickets are on sale and may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
Single-game tickets for the 2025 USF football season can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
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To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Football news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai’i Bowl. The Bulls are one of 15 programs to win a postseason game each of the last two years as head coach Alex Golesh became the first USF coach to record bowl victories in each of their first two seasons. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $349-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including one in 2024), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4). USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.
– #GoBulls –
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