Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is one of 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, the Jim Thorpe Association announced on Monday.

The Jim Thorpe Award is an annual award given out to recognize the nation’s best defensive back.

So far this season, Porter has 21 total tackles and one fumble recovery. He has also broken up 11 passes, which is tied for the second most of any FBS player.

According to NFLDraftBuzz.com, Porter is the second-best cornerback prospect in this year’s upcoming NFL Draft, as well as the tenth-highest overall prospect – the highest of any Nittany Lion.

This isn’t the first recognition of Porter’s outstanding work this season. Just a few days ago, he was named to the midseason AP All-American Team. He was also named the Bednarik Award Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in Penn State’s 35-31 victory over Purdue.

Porter is one of three Big Ten players named a semifinalist, alongside Ohio State’s Lathan Ransom and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon. This also marks the second year in a row that a Nittany Lion has been named a semifinalist, after Jaquan Brisker was nominated in 2021.

If Joey Porter Jr. was to win, it would bring Penn State its first Jim Thorpe Award in program history.