The Rimington Trophy Committee announces its 2018 Fall Watch List, which includes the following centers in Division I football. In order to create this list, the committee accepted nominations from programs across the country that submitted their current starting centers for consideration. This preseason, centers were nominated from every conference, with 58 total nominees and 27 past watch listers. The Pac-12 leads the list with 10 nominations, followed by the ACC with 8, and the SEC with 7.
The following is a list of those named to the 2018 Fall Watch List:
Conference | School | First Name | Last Name | Class Year | Height | Weight |
Am. Athl. | ||||||
UConn | Ryan | Crozier | RS SR | 6’4 | 294 | |
Houston | Will | Noble | SR | 6’5 | 295 | |
Memphis | Drew | Kyser | SR | 6’5 | 295 | |
Temple | Matt | Hennessy | RS SO | 6’4 | 295 | |
Tulsa | Chandler | Miller | SR | 6’3 | 293 | |
UCF | Jordan | Johnson | JR | 6’2 | 320 | |
ACC | ||||||
Clemson | Justin | Falcinelli | GRAD | 6’4 | 305 | |
Duke | Zach | Harmon | RS SR | 6’3 | 285 | |
Florida State | Alec | Eberle | RS SR | 6’4 | 295 | |
Georgia Tech | Kenny | Cooper | JR | 6’3 | 305 | |
Miami | Tyler | Curtis Gauthier | SR | 6’5 | 305 | |
NC State | Garrett | McCain Bradbury | SR | 6’3 | 300 | |
Virginia Tech | Kyle | Chung | RS SR | 6’3 | 310 | |
Wake Forest | Ryan | Anderson | SR | 6’6 | 305 | |
Big Ten | ||||||
Iowa | Keegan | Render | SR | 6’4 | 307 | |
Maryland | Brendan | Moore | SR | 6’3 | 302 | |
Minnesota | Jared | Weyler | RS SR | 6’4 | 296 | |
Penn State | Connor | McGovern | JR | 6’5 | 320 | |
Purdue | Kirk | Barron | SR | 6’2 | 300 | |
Big 12 | ||||||
Baylor | Sam | Tecklenburg | JR | 6’4 | 306 | |
Kansas State | Adam | Holtorf | JR | 6’4 | 295 | |
Oklahoma | Jonathan | Alvarez | RS SR | 6’3 | 312 | |
Texas | Zach | Shackelford | JR | 6’4 | 305 | |
Texas Tech | Paul | Stawarz | SR | 6’6 | 295 | |
C-USA | ||||||
Marshall | Levi | Brown | RS JR | 6’4 | 293 | |
North Texas | Sosaia | Mose | RS JR | 6’2 | 305 | |
Old Dominion | Nick | Clarke | SR | 6’4 | 312 | |
UAB | Lee | Dufour | RS JR | 6’3 | 300 | |
UTEP | Derron | Gatewood | SR | 6’2 | 297 | |
INDP. | ||||||
Army West Point | Bryce | Holland | SR | 6’2 | 295 | |
Notre Dame | Sam | Mustipher | GRAD | 6’2.5 | 304 | |
MAC | ||||||
Ball State | Andrew | Poenitsch | RS JR | 6’3 | 284 | |
Buffalo | James | O’Hagan | SR | 6’3 | 305 | |
Eastern Michigan | Dakota | Tallman | SR | 6’5 | 316 | |
Miami (OH) | Danny | Godlevske | RS SO | 6’2 | 305 | |
NIU | Luke | Shively | RS SR | 6’3 | 286 | |
Western Michigan | John | Keenoy | SR | 6’3 | 300 | |
Mtn. West | ||||||
Nevada | Sean | Krepsz | SR | 6’5 | 325 | |
Utah State | Quin | Ficklin | SR | 6’2 | 300 | |
Pac-12 | ||||||
Arizona | Nathan | Eldridge | RS JR | 6’3 | 297 | |
Arizona State | Cohl | Cabral | JR | 6’5 | 291 | |
California | Addison | Ooms | RS SR | 6’4 | 295 | |
Oregon | Jake | Hanson | JR | 6’5 | 297 | |
Oregon State | Sumner | Houston | SR | 6’2 | 290 | |
Stanford | Jesse | Burkett | SR | 6’4 | 309 | |
USC | Toa | Lobendahn | RS SR | 6’3 | 295 | |
Utah | Lo | Falemaka | SR | 6’5 | 295 | |
Washington | Nick | Harris | JR | 6’1 | 297 | |
Washington State | Frederick | Mauigoa | JR | 6’3 | 305 | |
SEC | ||||||
Alabama | Ross | Pierschbacher | SR | 6’4 | 309 | |
Florida | T.J. | McCoy | RS JR | 6’1 | 314 | |
Georgia | Lamont | Gaillard | SR | 6’2 | 308 | |
Mississippi State | Elgton | Jenkins | SR | 6’4 | 315 | |
Ole Miss | Sean | Rawlings | SR | 6’5 | 294 | |
South Carolina | Donell | Stanley | JR | 6’3 | 315 | |
Texas A&M | Erik | McCoy | JR | 6’4 | 315 | |
Sun Belt | ||||||
Georgia Southern | Curtis | Rainey | SR | 6’2 | 290 | |
Troy | Deontae | Crumitie | SR | 6’2 | 296 |
While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these three prestigious teams to determine a winner:
- Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)
- Sporting News (SN)
- Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)
Because the selectors of these three All-America teams can place centers in a “mix” of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee’s policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the All- America teams.
The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy committee. The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 12, 2019.
* * *
About the Rimington Trophy
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. Since its inception, the seventeen-year old award has raised over $3.6 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.
Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy’s only two-time winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com
The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
About the NCFAA
The Rimington Trophy is a part of the National College Football Awards Association, which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 24 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit www.NCFAA.org to learn more about its story.