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Nik Bonitto reacts to Jahdae Barron bringing Jim Thorpe Award trophy to Oklahoma's campus

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•about 18 hours•

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Jahdae Barron, Texas
Jahdae Barron - © Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

Wednesday night, former Texas star Jahdae Barron posted a photo of himself posing with his Jim Thorpe Award trophy on Oklahoma’s campus. That led to a reaction from former OU standout Nik Bonitto.

Bonitto asked if anyone let Barron leave Norman after he posed with the trophy on campus. The photo was in front of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and Barron held up a “Hook ‘Em,” as well.

Barron included the photo after posting a compilation from the NFL Scouting Combine. It made its way to Bonitto’s timeline, and he expressed his surprise.

“Ain’t no way yall let him make it out of Norman,” Bonitto wrote on X Wednesday night, along with a laughing emoji.

The Jim Thorpe Award honored Barron as the top defensive back in college football this past season. He was a crucial part of the Texas defense, leading the SEC with five interceptions while adding 67 total tackles and three tackles for loss.

Those numbers helped lead Texas back to the College Football Playoff semifinals, and Barron became a touted NFL Draft prospect as a result. In fact, ESPN analyst and Thursday Night Football color commentator Kirk Herbstreit said Barron is poised for success at the next level.

“I think Jahdae Barron,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “That’d be my guy. Yeah, I saw he ran well. He worked out, which is fun to see — some of these guys opt-out for obvious reasons. This guy decided to go out and compete. I covered this guy a lot, probably called over 11 or 12 of his games and I love to see a guy.”

One of the biggest traits Herbstreit noted about Barron is his versatility. At Texas, he showed he was able to play both in the slot and on the outside. With his ability to also make an impact on the run game and in blitz packages, Herbstreit said Barron has the skills to make an immediate impact in the NFL.

“One year where he’s out there playing that slot and playing it as well as anybody,” Herbstreit said. “When you say that to people who are fans, when you play the slot, it’s not just, okay he’s on the inside. He’s in run support, he’s blitzing, he’s playing space, he’s playing man. The versatility is off the charts with him. Then, the next year he comes back and he’s on the outside. You can explain in layman’s terms how hard that is at the elite college football and NFL level to have the skillset to play both in and out, but he did flawlessly.”