Colorado State center Jake Bennett was named to the Rimington Trophy 2016 Fall Watch List Wednesday, an award annually presented to the nation’s most outstanding center.
After bouncing back from a knee injury that cost him most of the 2014 season, Bennett started all 13 games in 2015, apart of an offensive line that ranked third in the Mountain West, averaging 417 yards per game and ranked in the top-25 in both sacks allowed (1.17), as well as third down conversions (46 percent).
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It is not a surprise Bennett is one of 62 centers to make the official fall watch list, as Bennett was named to the spring watch list for the award in May. Bennett joins five other Mountain Centers on the list.
Bennett is widely viewed as one of the Rams biggest leaders. At the 2016 introductory press conference last spring, head coach Mike Bobo pointed to Bennett as a player he expected to step up and lead the team moving forward.
When spring ball concluded with the annual Green and Gold game, Bobo continued his praise of Bennett, proving it was not just something to hype up the fans leading into spring, but that the coaching staff is legitimately excited about the prospects of this offensive line and Bennett.
The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 14, 2017. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football.
Since its inception in the 2000 season, the Rimington Trophy has raised more than $2.6 million for the cystic fibrosis community.
Collegian sports reporter Justin Michael can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @JustinTMichael.
