Award:
| Year | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Thomas Everett | Baylor |
| 1987* | Bennie Blades | Miami (FL) |
| 1987* | Rickey Dixon | Oklahoma |
| 1988 | Deion Sanders | Florida State |
| 1989 | Mark Carrier | USC |
| 1990 | Darryll Lewis | Arizona |
| 1991 | Terrell Buckley | Florida State |
| 1992 | Deon Figures | Colorado |
| 1993 | Antonio Langham | Alabama |
| 1994 | Chris Hudson | Colorado |
| 1995 | Greg Myers | Colorado State |
| 1996 | Lawrence Wright | Florida |
| 1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan |
| 1998 | Antoine Winfield | Ohio State |
| 1999 | Tyrone Carter | Minnesota |
| 2000 | Jamar Fletcher | Wisconsin |
| 2001 | Roy Williams | Oklahoma |
| 2002 | Terence Newman | Kansas State |
| 2003 | Derrick Strait | Oklahoma |
| 2004 | Carlos Rogers | Auburn |
| 2005 | Michael Huff | Texas |
| 2006 | Aaron Ross | Texas |
| 2007 | Antoine Cason | Arizona |
| 2008 | Malcolm Jenkins | Ohio State |
| 2009 | Eric Berry | Tennessee |
| 2010 | Patrick Peterson | LSU |
| 2011 | Morris Claiborne | LSU |
| 2012 | Johnthan Banks | Mississippi State |
| 2013 | Darqueze Dennard | Michigan State |
| 2014 | Gerod Holliman | Louisville |
| 2015 | Desmond King | Iowa |
| 2016 | Adoree' Jackson | USC |
| 2017 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Alabama |
| 2018 | Deandre Baker | Georgia |
| 2019 | Grant Delpit | LSU |
| 2020 | Trevon Moehrig | TCU |
| 2021 | Coby Bryant | Cincinnati |
*Tie
Jim Thorpe Award Winners by School
| School | Winners |
|---|---|
| LSU | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 3 |
| Alabama | 2 |
| Arizona | 2 |
| Colorado | 2 |
| Florida State | 2 |
| Ohio State | 2 |
| Texas | 2 |
| USC | 2 |
| Auburn | 1 |
| Baylor | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 1 |
| Colorado State | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| Kansas State | 1 |
| Louisville | 1 |
| Miami (FL) | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Michigan State | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 |
| Mississippi State | 1 |
| TCU | 1 |
| Tennessee | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |