The University of Cincinnati was the only team with three players on the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the best defensive back in college football.
The three were senior safeties Darrick Forrest and James Wiggins and sophomore cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner.
On Sunday, two of the three declared for the NFL draft. Wiggins was first.
The 2020 first-team All-American Athletic Conference performer and Associated Press second-team All-American announced on Twitter his intention to enter the draft.
"Thank you to the city of Cincinnati," Wiggins said in the post. "Cincinnati has become my home for the last five years and I have created friendships that will last a lifetime. Cincinnati will always hold a special place in my heart."
Wiggins, who did not play in the Bearcats' loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Friday because of a nagging calf injury that also limited him in the AAC championship game, had 32 tackles, seven passes defended, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in nine starts this season.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Miami native was a semifinalist for the 2020 Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the best defensive back in college football, and the 2020 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award after missing all of 2019 with a torn ACL. Wiggins suffered the injury two days before the season opener.
Wiggins, who earned a second-team All-AAC selection in 2018, has accepted an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl, which is scheduled for Jan. 30 in Mobile, Alabama.
Forrest followed Wiggins by announcing his intent to also play in the NFL.
"After careful consideration, I have decided that I will be advancing my career to the next level and declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft," he said. "I appreciate all of my supporters and I can't wait to take you along on my next journey."
The 6-foot, 200-pound Columbus native, who received honorable mention All-AAC honors this season, finished his UC career with 200 total tackles, six interceptions and 12 passes defended in 49 games.
Both Forrest (health education) and Wiggins (criminal justice) earned their degrees in December.
Fellow Bearcats senior defensive back Coby Bryant announced Saturday night that he, unlike Forrest and Wiggins, intends to use his additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and return to UC for another season.
"I have been granted another year of eligibility and feel that it would be best for me to come back and accomplish more and be a better leader for this team," Bryant wrote in a post to Twitter.
The 2020 first-team All-AAC cornerback had 35 tackles (31 solo) and a team-high four interceptions this season. Bryant had three tackles and an interception in the Peach Bowl.
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The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Cleveland native has seven career interceptions. Bryant matched his single-game career high with two interceptions on Oct. 3 against South Florida. He also had two picks against Temple in 2018 while wearing a cast on his then-fractured hand.
Bryant also earned his degree in December in interdisciplinary studies.
Bryant, Forrest and Wiggins, along with sophomore cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, who was the third UC player on the preseason watch list for the Thorpe Award, were the pillars of a UC secondary that led the American with 13 interceptions and 48 passes defended during the regular season.
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