Revis honored again as Thorpe Award candidate

If Darrelle Revis hasn’t proven himself to opposing coaches and quarterbacks during his… If Darrelle Revis hasn’t proven himself to opposing coaches and quarterbacks during his first two years in Pitt’s secondary, members of the national media are making sure they know his name before the start of this year.

Revis, a junior cornerback for head coach Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers, was recently named to the 33-player “watch list” for the 2006 Thorpe Award which is annually given to the nation’s top defensive back.

This year’s watch list was developed by a point system based upon the number of preseason All-America teams a player was listed on.

Revis was honored on at least five preseason teams, including first-team mentions from Athlon Sports, Lindy’s and Street ‘ Smith’s.

Earlier in the off-season, Revis was also named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list. The Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player.

Revis’ national attention began to build at the end of the 2005 season after becoming the only sophomore defensive player named first team All-Big East.

Revis led Pitt during the Panthers’ 5-6 season last year with four interceptions and was ranked 19th nationally with 1.18 passes defended per game. He also led the Big East with an 11.6-yard punt return average, including the league’s longest return for a touchdown, a 79-yarder against Cincinnati.