BOONE, N.C. — The preseason watch list for the 2018 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the best defensive back in college football, includes Appalachian State junior Clifton Duck.
Named a second-team preseason All-American by Street and Smith, Duck is tied for first place nationally with 11 interceptions since the start of the 2016 season. In the same time frame, according to the PFF College Football site, he leads FBS defensive backs by allowing a passer rating of just 50.4 when targeted with a throw.
A Charlotte, N.C., native, Duck had five interceptions as a true freshman in 2016, when he was named to a pair of Freshman All-America Teams.