TCU Football: Avila Named To Rimington Award Watch List

This annual award recognizes the nation’s top center

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a busy week with the release of all preseason watch lists for college football. The TCU Horned Frogs have had several players named to various lists. Now, let’s add center Steve Avila to that list. The Arlington, Texas, senior was named to the Rimington Award watch list.

This award is presented annually to the best center in college football. It is the only postseason award for every four-year college football division (FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA divisions). It is named after Dave Rimington, who many consider the best lineman to play college football. He played at the University of Nebraska in the early 1980s before playing in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.

The award has been presented annually since 2000. TCU’s Jake Kirkpatrick won the award in 2010, the Rose Bowl season. Last year’s award went to Tyler Linderbaum of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Other Big 12 players on the watch list are Trevor Downing (Iowa State), Zach Frasier (West Virginia), Jacob Gall (Baylor), Mike Novitsky (Kansas), and Preston Wilson (Oklahoma State).

A total of 40 players were named to this year’s preseason watch list. For the complete watch list, click here.

Rimington Trophy Award Watch List 🐸@Stevelavila makes the list! #GoFrogs #DFWBig12Team pic.twitter.com/tZEAy2uacv

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) July 22, 2022

A First-Team All-Big 12 selection and Team Captain last season, Avila started at center in 11 games while also seeing action at right guard against Texas. He was rated by Pro Football Focus as the nation’s highest-graded center in Week One at 87.2, allowing zero pressures on 25 pass blocking snaps with a run blocking grade of 84.8.

Steve Avila and Dee Winters at the 2022 Big 12 Media Days earlier this month.  / Barry Lewis

Avila, who represented TCU at last week's Big 12 Media Day, will be in his third season as a starter. He started all nine games he played in 2020 with six at center, two at right tackle, and one at right guard. He was the only Horned Frog that season to start at three different positions on the offensive line.

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