Michigan and Michigan State both had a player on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list released on Monday.
Lavert Hill and David Dowell were among 35 players included on the list, presented annually to the best defensive back in the country by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
Hill, who enters his junior season, was a second-team all-Big Ten selection by the coaches in 2017, after totaling 25 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. The media named him honorable mention all-Big Ten.
MORE: Full Jim Thorpe Award watch list
Pro Football Focus has named the 5-foot-11, 177-pound Hill the highest graded returning Power-5 cornerback in the country.