Pitt senior safety Dom DeCicco was announced as a candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award on… Pitt senior safety Dom DeCicco was announced as a candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award on Monday.

The award is given to the nation’s premier defensive back.

One of 35 preseason candidates, DeCicco is coming off an All-Big East season in which he made 88 tackles to go along with three interceptions after picking off four passes the year before.

This season will his third as a starter for the safety hailing from nearby Thomas Jefferson high school.