Swindall Makes Rimington Trophy Watch List

Swindall’s second year to be named to the watch list.

Evan Swindall snaps the ball to Bo Wallace. (photo by Joshua McCoy / Ole Miss Sports )

Ole Miss center Evan Swindall has been named to the Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List for the second straight year, it was announced Tuesday.

Swindall is one of 17 repeat players out of the total of 44 on the watch list. The Rimington Trophy is awarded each year to the top center in college football.

A senior from LaFayette, Ga., Swindall is entering his third year as the Rebels’ starting center. He has made 20 consecutive starts entering his final campaign with the Red and Blue. He was a key part of an offensive line that helped Ole Miss score the third-most points in school history (409) and average the second-most yards per game in school history (423.8 ypg) last year.

Swindall is one of nine players on the watch list from the SEC, which leads all conference. The PAC-12 and the Mountain West Conference check in with five players each.

The winner will be honored at Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 11, 2014.

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:

* American Football Coaches Association
* Walter Camp Foundation
* Sporting News
* Football Writers Association of America

Because the selectors of these four 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 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-American 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 most second-team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.

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 million for the cystic fibrosis community. The 14-year-old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised nearly $100 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 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.