Maybe all the lobbying worked?

Days after the 31-14 win over the Kentucky Wildcats in Austin, Texas Longhorns senior safety Andrew Mukuba and redshirt junior safety Michael Taaffe appeared for the postgame media release. They wore T-shirts promoting the Thorpe Award candidacy of Pflugerville senior back Jahdae Barron. Connally was named finalists along with Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs and Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks.

In reality, Barron’s resume speaks for itself – he ranks No. 1 in the SEC and 12th nationally with four interceptions, 41 tackles (27 solo, 14 assists), 10 defensive stops, five pass breakups, eight passes defended and one Fumble return, one sack, two quarterback hurries.

The published school press noted the impact Barron had in the road win against Arkansas, which provided a compelling argument for him to win the award:

The win secured UT’s 10th straight true road win – the longest active streak in the FBS. In the win against the Razorbacks, Barron collected seven tackles (six solo), including a sack and two tackles for loss, along with a game-tying interception, a pass breakup and a QB rush. Barron’s interception came a little over five minutes into the game at the Texas 39-yard line, and from there the offense scored the game’s first points through a touchdown and a 7-0 lead, something the Longhorns failed to do the rest of the way give up game. On the very next series, Barron secured a tackle for loss on a 3rd-and-3, making it a three-and-out.

Barron later placed a sack with 19 seconds left on the final play of the first half to ensure Arkansas had no chance to score at the 38-yard line and Texas would maintain a 10-0 halftime lead. Barron again disrupted the quarterback in a critical situation in the fourth quarter. With the Longhorns leading 13-7 and Arkansas on the Texas 26 near the red zone, Barron forced an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-10 that forced a field goal to tie the game at 13-10. On the next offensive possession, the Longhorns increased their lead to 20-10.

As Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian likes to note, individual accolades follow team success, and the Longhorns defense had plenty of success this season, ranking second nationally in FEI and SP+:

With Barron leading the UT defense, Texas ranks second in the FBS in total defense (247.5 YPG), passes allowed (143.5 YPG), pass efficiency defense (93.51), passes intercepted (17) and the first down defense (162). He ranked third in scoring defense (12.1 ppg) and led the SEC in all of those categories. The Longhorns also rank fifth in the FBS in turnovers made (24), ninth in third-down conversion percentage defense (.299), 11th in sacks (3.0) and 13th. Ranks in tackles for loss (7.3). Texas ranks third nationally in defensive stop rate, recording stops on 80.5 percent of opponents’ offenses this season. The Longhorns are the best in the country at preventing explosive plays of 20 yards (22) and 30 yards (seven). Barron is a driving force in a Texas secondary that has given up just four passing touchdowns this season – tied for the fewest in the FBS.

Barron is also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive player in the country, and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, another Defensive Player of the Year honor.