NEW YORK – The Rimington Trophy Committee has named BYU center Tejan Koroma to its 2017 fall watch list released on Tuesday.
With his selection, Koroma becomes a three-time watch list honoree for the Rimington Trophy, which recognizes the most outstanding center in college football.
A 6-foot, 290-pound senior from Allen, Texas, Koroma was graded as one of the top four centers in college football in 2016 by Pro Football Focus. Koroma has started every game he has played for the Cougars with 38 starts over his first three seasons. He 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 an 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. Last year he anchored a BYU offensive line that helped Jamaal Williams rank No. 5 nationally in rushing yards per game while becoming the Cougars' all-time rushing leader.
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. 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, Jan. 13, 2018.
Select the following link to see the entire 2017 watch list.
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 $2.9 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 $130 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.