Putnam Placed on Rimington Watch List
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.
The 2022 Rimington Trophy Watchlist is as follows:
Ricky Stromberg, SR, Arkansas
Nick Brahms, SR, Auburn
Jacob Ball, GRAD, Baylor
Connor Pay, RS SO, BYU
Matthew Cindric, SR, California
Will Putnam, SR, Clemson
Willie Lampkin, JR, Coastal Carolina
Kingsley Eguakun, RS SO, Florida
Sedrick Van Pran, RS SO, Georgia
Malik Sumter, RS SR, Georgia State
Trevor Downing, RS SR, Iowa State
Mike Novitsky, RS SR, Kansas
Jacob Likes, RS JR, Memphis
Jakai Clark, JR, Miami
Olu Oluwatimi, GRAD, Michigan
John Michael Schmitz, SR, Minnesota
LaQuiston Sharp, RS SR, Mississippi State
Grant Gibson, RS GRAD, North Carolina State
Jarett Patterson, GRAD, Notre Dame
Luke Wypler Jr, JR, Ohio State
Preston Wilson, SR JR, Oklahoma State
Alex Forsyth, SR, Oregon
Jake Levengood, RS JR, Oregon State
Juice Scruggs, RS SR, Penn State
Gus Hartwig, RS SO, Purdue
Alama Uluave, SR, San Diego State
Drake Nugentd, SR, Stanford
Steve Avila, SR, TCU
Bryce Foster, SO, Texas A&M
Jake Andrews, JR, Troy
Sincere Haynesworth, JR, Tulane
Will Rykard, RS JR, UAB
Matt Lee, RS JR, UCF
Brett Neilon, RS SR, USC
Johnny Jordan, GRAD, Virginia Tech
Michael Jurgens, JR, Wake Forest
Zach Frazier, SO, West Virginia
Jacob Gideon, RS SO, Western Michigan
Joe Tippman, JR, Wisconsin
Rusty Staats, RS JR, WKU
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.
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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 Rimington 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.