Johnson Named to Rimington Trophy Watch List
10/14/2020 1:59:00 PM | Football
KENT, OHIO- Kent State offensive lineman Daniel Johnson has been named to the 2020 Rimington Award Watch List, given annually to the top center in the nation.
The redshirt sophomore stepped into a starting role on the Golden Flashes' offensive line midway through last season and never looked back. The London, Ontario, Canada native helped to solidify the line and the team went 4-0 in his starts. The offense ran for 100 or more yards in each of his four starts and topped 250 in each of the final three. He is one of seven Mid-American Conference centers that made the watch list.
This season, Johnson looks to help anchor a line that returns three starters up front as well as its top passer and rusher (Dustin Crum) and top receiver (Isaiah McKoy).
As mentioned above, the Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football for the past 17 seasons. During that time, the award has raised over $4.45 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. The award's namesake, Dave Rimington, was a two-time Outland Trophy winner for the nation's best lineman and was a first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals. After his NFL career, Rimington has worked with the Boomer Esiason Foundation and has served as its president since 1995.
The Award takes three All-America lists into consideration during its selection process: The Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. 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 most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.
Johnson and the Golden Flashes open up the 2020 season at home against Eastern Michigan. The full watchlist can be seen here.
