CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia center Drake Metcalf was among eight midseason additions to the Rimington Trophy Watch List on Thursday (Oct. 15). The Rimington Trophy committee considered nominations from schools based on in-season merit and data provided by Pro Football Focus.
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. Since its inception, the award has raised over $5 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation.
The following centers have been added to the watchlist:
|
School |
Player |
|
North Dakota State |
Gage Schmidt |
|
Michigan State |
Trent Fraley |
|
Boise State |
Stewart Taufa |
|
Miami (FL) |
Ryan Rodriguez |
|
Cincinnati |
Taran Tyo |
|
Virginia |
|
|
Minnesota |
Greg Johnson |
|
Alabama |
Racin Delgatty |
To view the full watchlist, please visit: https://rimingtontrophy.com/the-watchlist/
Metcalf has started all six games at center for the Cavaliers this season and dating back to 2025 has 20 consecutive starts on the Cavaliers offensive line. Virginia boasts a 15-5 record in that span which includes the program’s first ACC Championship game appearance since 2019 and a victory in the 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
As a team this season, the Cavaliers are averaging 32.8 points per game, 380.3 yards per game of total offense and have four wins in its first six games for the third-straight year. Metcalf and the UVA front helped pave the way for 258 total rushing yards in week 0 against NC State, which featured a historic 23-play, 75-yard drive that chewed 12:15 off the clock. In week two against Norfolk State, Metcalf had the highest overall grade (88.4) of any center in FBS according to Pro Football Focus. His PFF run block grade of 87.7 was nearly six points better than any other center in the country. Metcalf protected for UVA’s first 400-yard passing game since the 2021 season when UVA accumulated 437 yards in a 42-3 win against Delaware on Sept. 26.
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. For more on the Rimington Trophy, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com
About the Boomer Esiason Foundation
In 1993, Boomer Esiason’s son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). Boomer and his wife Cheryl founded the Boomer Esiason Foundation to raise funds and awareness for the cystic fibrosis community. To date, the Foundation has raised over $180 million and works to provide educational and financial resources to help people living with CF in the here and now.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs, digestive system, and reproductive system of about 40,000 Americans by causing a thick build-up of mucus that leads to blockage, inflammation, and infection.