NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference has six preseason candidates for the 2019 Rimington Trophy Award — presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football - as announced by the Rimington Trophy Committee on Friday.
Appalachian State’s Noah Hannon, Arkansas State’s Jacob Still, Coastal Carolina's Trey Carter, ULM's Bobby Reynolds, South Alabama’s Brian Ankerson and Texas State's Aaron Brewer were among the 80 candidates listed.
Hannon has made 26 consecutive starts at center for the Mountaineers, who ranked in the top 25 in both rushing yards per game and fewest sacks allowed during each of those two seasons.
Still, a Collierville, Tenn., native was part of an offensive line that ranked 40th in the country in tackles for loss allowed (5.54 per game) and 43rd in sacks allowed (1.85 per game). Behind Still and the offensive line, the Red Wolves produced over 400 yards total offense in nine games and at least 500 in three.
Carter has started 24-straight games entering the 2019 season. Named All-Sun Belt honorable mention in each of the last two years (2017 and 2018), the Alabama native played in and started all 12 games at center for the Chants. He was a vital part of the offensive unit up front that led the CCU rushing attack to rank fourth in the Sun Belt and 41st nationally with an average of 198.7 rushing yards per game.
Reynolds led the ULM offensive line in snaps played (827) and knockdowns (39). He surrendered only a half sack in nearly 400 passing plays. He produced the highest grade among offensive linemen in five games and scored 90 percent or higher in five games. The Keller, Texas, native anchored an offensive line that has helped ULM amass 500 yards total offense or more in three games in 2018.
In his first season as a starter last fall, Ankerson was credited with an overall grade of 73 percent and an assignment mark of 87 percent — both best on the team — to go along with 31 pancake blocks. He graded out at 70 percent or higher on nine occasions during the year while earning a grade of 80 percent or higher on assignments in all but one outing.
The Dallas native has established himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the Sun Belt Conference throughout his three years in San Marcos. He was chosen as part of the All-Sun Belt First Team Offense by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and named Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt by league coaches and media following the 2018 season. Per PFF, he graded as the best run blocker in the Sun Belt for linemen with 200 blocking snaps with a grade of 78.8. He scored the second-best pass blocking grade in the league with an 86.2 after surrendering just one sack in 2018.
The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which 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. The Rimington Trophy committee uses the All-America teams from the Walter Camp Foundation, the Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America to determine a winner.