Empey named to 2019 Rimington Trophy Watch List

PROVO, Utah – BYU sophomore center James Empey was today named to the watch list for the 2019 Rimington Trophy.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. 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. 

Empey started all 13 games for the Cougars in 2018 and was recognized as a Freshman All-American for his outstanding play by the Football Writers Association of America. BYU’s highest graded offensive lineman in 2018, the American Fork, Utah, native was also named the No. 1 freshman center by Pro Football Focus as well as best freshman lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus after the New Mexico State game.

Since its inception, the seventeen-year old award has raised over $4.2 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. 

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). 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 18, 2020. 

For more on this year's Rimington Trophy candidates and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.