Three finalists named for Jim Thorpe Award

Three finalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, given to major college football's best defensive back, were named on Monday.

DeShon Elliott of Texas, Minkah Fitzpatrick of Alabama and Josh Jackson of Iowa are the top-three candidates for the Oklahoma City-based award. All three are juniors.

The Thorpe candidates are among 27 finalists for nine National College Football Awards Association honors to be given at The Home Depot College Football Awards show on Dec. 7. The Thorpe winner will then be honored at a Feb. 6 banquet in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and Stanford running back Bryce Love are the finalists for the Maxwell Award given to college football's top player.

Finalists for the Chuck Bednarik Defensive Player of the Year are Alabama defensive back Fitzpatrick, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith and North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb.

Mayfield was also a finalist for the Davey O'Brien award that goes to the top quarterback, along with Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State and J.T. Barrett of Ohio State.

Barkley and Love, along with Wisconsin freshman Jonathan Taylor, were finalists for the Doak Walker Award that goes to the nation's top running back.

South Alabama's Jones resigns

South Alabama football coach Joey Jones is resigning, effective after the season finale.

Jones is the only coach in the history of a program that fielded its first team in 2009. He was hired a couple of months after South Alabama's December 2007 announcement that it would start a football program.

Jones has posted a 52-49 record in eight-plus seasons and led the Jaguars to two bowl games. He won his first 19 games after the startup.

South Alabama is 4-7 this season and coming off a 52-0 loss to Georgia Southern.

Michigan QB is concussion protocol

Michigan quarterback Brandon Peters is in concussion protocol and could be cleared to practice without contact as soon as Wednesday.

The Wolverines host No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday, hoping to pull off an upset that would knock their rival out of contention for the College Football Playoff. Peters was carted off the field after taking a hit Saturday in a loss at No. 5 Wisconsin.

John O'Korn finished the game against the Badgers. He filled in for injured Wilton Speight earlier this season before losing his job to Peters.