The Rimington Trophy Presents its 2022 Watchlist

July 22, 2022 by Press Release Courtesy rimingtontrophy.com

New York, NY - The Rimington Trophy is proud to release its 2022 preseason Watchlist. This year, the Trophy committee worked with Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow down its list to the top 40 centers. PFF grades every player on every play of every game on how well they execute their given assignment. That play-by-play grading allowed the Trophy committee to create a watchlist based both on nominations from the schools and data provided by PFF. Once the season begins, schools will be able to nominate their centers for late addition based on in-season merit.

2022 Rimington Trophy Watchlist

CONFERENCE SCHOOL FIRST NAME LAST NAME CLASS
ACC        
  Clemson Will Putnam SR
  Miami Jakai Clark JR
  North Carolina State Grant Gibson RS GRAD
  Virginia Tech Johnny Jordan GRAD
  Wake Forest Michael Jurgens JR
American         
  Memphis Jacob Likes RS JR
  Tulane Sincere Haynesworth JR
  UCF Matt Lee RS JR
Big 12        
  Baylor Jacob Gall GRAD
  Iowa State Trevor Downing RS SR
  Kansas Mike Novitsky RS SR
  Oklahoma State Preston Wilson SR JR
  TCU Steve Avila SR
  West Virginia Zach Frazier SO
Big Ten        
  Michigan Olu Oluwatimi GRAD
  Minnesota John Michael Schmitz SR
  Ohio State Luke Wypler Jr JR
  Penn State Juice Scruggs RS SR
  Purdue Gus Hartwig RS SO
  Wisconsin Joe Tippmann JR
CUSA        
  UAB Will Rykard RS JR
  WKU Rusty Staats RS JR
IND\.        
  BYU Connor Pay RS SO
  Notre Dame Jarett Patterson GRAD
MAC        
  Western Michigan Jacob Gideon RS SO
MWC        
  San Diego State Alama Uluave SR
PAC-12         
  California Matthew Cindric SR
  Oregon Alex Forsyth SR
  Oregon State Jake Levengood RS JR
  Stanford Drake Nugent SR
  USC Brett Neilon RS SR
SEC        
  Arkansas Ricky Stromberg SR
  Auburn Nick Brahms SR
  Florida Kingsley Eguakun RS SO
  Georgia Sedrick Van Pran RS SO
  Mississippi State LaQuinston Sharp RS SR
  Texas A&M Bryce Foster SO
Sun Belt         
  Coastal Carolina Willie Lampkin JR
  Georgia State Malik Sumter RS SR
  Troy Jake Andrews JR

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, provided with data from Pro Football Focus.

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 award has raised over $5 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation.

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, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com

About the Boomer Esiason Foundation

In 1993, Boomer Esiason’s son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). Boomer and his wife Cheryl founded the Boomer Esiason Foundation to raise funds and awareness for the cystic fibrosis community. To date, the Foundation has raised over $160 million and works to provide educational and financial resources to help people living with CF in the here and now.

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.

About Pro Football Focus

Since 2006, PFF has separated themselves from the pack in their ability to provide game-changing NFL data supported through studying every player, on every player, of every game. In 2014, they began to do so for college football, offering top service for professional and college programs.

About the NCFAA

The Rimignton Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association. The NCFAA 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 our story. 

NCFAA Watch List Calendar

The members of the NCFAA are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period. Sixteen of the association's 25 awards are presenting their preseason watch list during this time as the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the (remaining) 2022 preseason watch list calendar:

Mon., July 25: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award/Butkus Award
Tues., July 26: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., July 27: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Thurs., July 28: Hornung Award/Wuerffel Trophy
Friday, July 29: Walter Camp Award  
Mon., Aug. 1: Bednarik Award