Tejan Koroma named to 2015 Rimington Trophy Watch List

NEW YORK - The Rimington Trophy Committee has named BYU center Tejan Koroma to its 2015 fall watch list released Wednesday, which includes 63 centers in Division I football.

The 6-foot, 280-pound Koroma is just one of only two true sophomores on the 2015 list.

The Texas product was the only true freshman center in FBS Division I to start all 13 games at center in 2014, helping propel the Cougar offense to 37.1 points per game, No. 15 in the nation. Koroma was named FWAA Freshman All-America, ESPN True Freshman All-America, 247Sports True Freshman All-America, Sporting News All-True Freshman and Phil Steele Freshman All-America following the 2014 season.

Along with 2014 Rimington Trophy Finalist Jack Allen of Michigan State, this year’s watch list features 17 other returning centers previously included.

After careful consideration, representatives from Division I football programs across the country submitted nominations to the Rimington Trophy committee and the watch list was created. These athletes are projected to excel at the center position in the upcoming season. As the season progresses, the committee will continue to watch all players listed below and will announce its finalists on December 7, 2015. 

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 four 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 16, 2016.

About the Rimington Trophy

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2.6 million for the cystic fibrosis community. The award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $115 million for CF Research.

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 double 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. See the entire 2015 watch list below.