Knott Named to Rimington Spring Watch List

May 22, 2017

University of South Carolina fifth-year senior Alan Knott has been named to the Rimington Trophy 2017 Spring Watch List, it was announced today.

Knott, a 6-4, 274-pounder from Tyrone, Ga., has played in 35 contests over the past three seasons for the Garnet and Black. His 29 career starts as a Gamecock leads the current squad.

In order to create this list, the Rimington Trophy Committee accepted nominations from programs across the country that submitted their current starting centers for consideration. This preseason, at least one player from each conference was nominated, with the MAC leading at nine student-athletes selected and the Big 12 and SEC following with eight each respectively.

While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee used 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 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, January 13, 2018.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division 1-A College Football. Since it’s 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 the fight against cystic fibrosis.

Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-American 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