Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward earned his second watch list nomination of the summer on Friday when he was one of 45 defensive backs selected as a preseason nominee for the Jim Thorpe Award.

Ward, a junior, has not yet started a game for the Buckeyes but has played 25 games in his first two seasons. After recording 23 total tackles and nine pass breakups on 468 snaps in a rotational role last season, Ward is expected to be one of college football's top cornerbacks this season.

Ward was one of four Buckeyes selected Monday to the watch list for the Bednarik Award, which honors college football's best defensive player.

Ohio State has two previous winners of the Jim Thorpe Award: Antoine Winfield, who earned the honor in 1998, and Malcolm Jenkins, who won it in 2008.