Baylor C Jacob Gall Named to Rimington Trophy Watchlist
Each year, the Rimington Trophy is awarded to college football’s best center. The committee released their official watchlist this week (Friday, July 22) and the Baylor Bears' own Jacob Gall was one of the 40 ball snappers named to the list.
Baylor had the best offensive line in the Big 12 (and maybe the country) last season, and they’re losing virtually nothing up front in 2022. 2021 was Gall’s first season with Baylor after transferring from Buffalo and he started all 14 games at center on his way to AP Second Team All-Big 12 honors.
He and his fellow linemen will be tasked with protecting slippery sophomore quarterback Blake Shapen, who was electric in his pair of starts last year and beat out 2021 starter Gerry Bohanon (now at USF) in the spring, but overall, inexperienced.
Luckily, the Bears have the experience to spare up front, boasting a lineup of starters that will all be In their fourth season or later. Along with Gall, left tackle Connor Galvin, the Big 12’s 2021 Lineman of the Year, will be counted on to anchor this Bears front five.
The Bears will likely throw the ball a bit more than they did last year and step away from their power running game, at least a little, with the slighter Shapen under center. But Baylor should have no problem running the ball at will this season, even after replacing their top three rushers from 2021.
Gall, Galvin and their fellow lineman will be the foundation that the Bears’ offense relies on if they want to make another Big 12 Championship run this season. If Gall can repeat his 2021 performance, he could help the Bears to some hoist Big 12 hardware in 2022 and end up with some hardware of his own in the form of the Rimington Trophy.
