Gilyard named to watch list for Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year

01/27/2022 | Men's Basketball

RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond graduate student Jacob Gilyard is one of 15 players on the watch list for the 2022 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Thursday. Gilyard currently leads the nation in both steals per game, at 3.35, and total steals, with 67.

This is Gilyard's third straight year on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list. He was named one of 10 semifinalists for the award in each of the previous two seasons.

Gilyard's 425 career steals are the most in Division I history and 126 more than any other active D-I player. He broke the record on December 5, 2021 at Northern Iowa in Richmond's ninth game of the season. Richmond lost a minimum of 10 games due to COVID-19 over the previous two seasons.

Gilyard, who led the nation in steals in each of the last two seasons, is a three-time All-Atlantic 10 honoree and the 2020 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

Naismith Watch List