The Rimington Trophy committee is pleased to announce its 2020 Watch List ________________________
New York, NY — Wednesday, October 14, 2020
The Rimington Trophy Committee adjusted its procedures with consideration to the COVID-19 pandemic, choosing to hold its 2020 watch list until play began and a plan was implemented across all Division I conferences. This year, it accepted all nominations from eligible Division I programs with the goal of highlighting as many collegiate centers as possible and showing the outstanding commitment of the following students athletes.
Conference First Name Last Name Class Year Height Weight
ACC
Clemson Cade Stewart GRAD 6’3 305
Duke Will Taylor RS JR 6’3 305
Georgia Tech Mikey Minihan JR 6’3 307
Louisville Cole Bentley SR 6’5 306
Miami (FL) Corey Gaynor RS JR 6’4 299
North Carolina Brian Anderson JR 6’2 300
North Carolina State Grant Gibson RS JR 6’1 300
Notre Dame Jarrett Patterson RS SO 6’4.5 305
Pittsburgh Jimmy Morrissey RS SR 6’3 305
Syracuse Carlos Vettorello RS SO 6’4 289
Virginia Olusegun Oluwatimi JR 6’3 310
Virginia Tech Brock Hoffman RS JR 6’3 317
Wake Forest Michael Jurgens RS SO 6’4 295
American
Cincinnati Jakari Robinson JR 6’0 308
SMU Alan Ali JR 6’4 303
Temple C.J. Perez GRAD 6’1 287
Tulane Sincere Amaru Haynesworth SO 6’1 315
Tulsa Gerard Wheeler JR 6’3 325
USF Brad Cecil JR 6’4 307
Big 12
Iowa State Colin Newell JR 6’4 304
Kansas Api Mane SR 6’3 320
Kansas State Noah Johnson SR 6’1 287
Oklahoma Creed Humphrey RS JR 6’5 320
Oklahoma State Ry Schneider RS SR 6’3 327
TCU Esteban Avila SO 6’4 314
Texas Derek Kertstetter SR 6’5 293
Texas Tech Dawson Deaton JR 6’6 305
Big Ten
Illinois Doug Kramer SR 6’2 300
Indiana Harry Crider SR 6’4 311
Iowa Tyler Linderbaum SO 6’3 289
Maryland Johnny Jordan SR 6’1 305
Michigan State Matt Allen RS SR 6’3 300
Nebraska Cameron Jurgens SO 6’3 285
Ohio State Josh Myers JR 6’5 312
Penn State Michal Menet RS SR 6’4 306
C-USA
Charlotte Jaelin Fisher RS SR 6’2 285
FIU Shane McGough RS SR 6’2 302
Florida Atlantic Nick Weber RS JR 6’3 296
Louisiana Tech Kody Ray Russey RS SR 6’1 290
UAB Andrew Smith, Jr. RS SR 6’1 310
UTEP Andrew Meyer RS SO 6’5 295
UTSA Ahofitu Maka JR 6’3 320
WKU Seth Joest RS SR 6’3 295
Independent
Army Connor Bishop SO 6’3 290
BYU James Empey JR 6’4 300
Liberty Thomas Sargeant RS SR 6’1 295
Massachusetts Dalton Tomlison JR 6’5 310
New Mexico State Max Wilhite RS SO 6’4 300
MAC
Buffalo Mike Novitsky SO 6’5 295
Eastern Michigan Mike Van Hoeven SR 6’5 305
Kent State Daniel Johnson RS SO 6’5 275
Miami Danny Godlevske SR 6’2 300
Ohio Brett Kitrell SR 6’3 302
Toledo Bryce Harris SR 6’3 292
Western Michigan Wesley French RS SR 6’5 295
MWC
Colorado State Cam Reddy RS SO 6’1 305
Fresno State Matt Smith SR 5’11 285
Hawaii Taaga Tuulima SR 6’2 290
New Mexico Kyle Stapley SR 6’3 298
San Jose State Kyle Hoppe SR 6’1 290
Wyoming Keegan Cryder JR 6’4 309
Pac-12
Arizona Josh McCauley RS SR 6’4 285
California Michael Saffell SR 6’2 290
Colorado Colby Pursell JR 6’4 305
Oregon State Nous Keobounnam RS SR 6’2 283
Stanford Drew Dalman RS JR 6’3 286
USC Brett Neilon RS JR 6’2 305
Utah Orlando Umana SR 6’4 311
Washington Luke Wattenberg SR 6’5 297
SEC
Alabama Landon Dickerson RS SR 6’6 325
Arkansas Ricky Stromberg SO 6’4 311
Auburn Nick Brahms JR 6’3 299
Florida Brett Heggie RS SR 6’5 321
Georgia Trey Hill JR 6’4 330
Kentucky Drake Jackson SR 6’2 292
LSU Liam Shanahan SR-TR 6’5 304
Mizzou Michael Maietti RS SR 6’1 290
Ole Miss Ben Brown JR 6’5 315
South Carolina Eric Douglas RS JR 6’4 315
Tennessee Brandon Kennedy SR 6’3 301
Texas A&M Ryan McCollum GRAD 6’5 300
Vanderbilt Grant Miller SR 6’4 297
Sun Belt
App State Noah Hannon SR 6’1 270
Arkansas State Jacob Still RS SR 6’1 296
Coastal Carolina Sam Thompson RS SR 5’9 290
Georgia State Malik Sumter RS JR 6’1 295
Louisiana Shane Vallot RS JR 6’0 281
South Alabama Brian Ankerson SR 6’1 295
Texas State Reece Jordan SR 6’3 275
Troy Dylan Bradshaw SR 6’3 292
Selection Process
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. Because of COVID-19 and the ever-changing guidelines of in-person events, details of the annual presentation will be announced when confirmed.
About the Rimington Trophy
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. Since its inception, award has raised over $4.5 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. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about the association.
About the Boomer Esiason Foundation
In 1993, Gunnar Esiason – son of former NFL MVP quarterback Boomer Esiason – was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs, digestive system, and reproductive system of about 30,000 Americans by causing a thick build-up of mucus that leads to blockage, inflammation, and infection.
Boomer and his wife Cheryl founded the Boomer Esiason Foundation to raise funds and awareness for the cystic fibrosis community. The Foundation has raised over $150 million. Today, BEF offers scholarships, transplant grants, and other educational programs in an effort to assist CF patients and families in their daily lives. There have also been over 800 athletes who have competed in marathons, half marathons, and more to raise money and awareness for Team Boomer – the athletic division of the Foundation.
Rimington Trophy Contact:
Michelle Pelini
646.292.7946
[email protected]
