Texas Longhorns Center Jake Majors Named to Rimington Trophy Preseason Watchlist Ahead of the 2024 Season

Majors is one of 40 players to be named in the prestigious preseason watchlist.

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Jake Majors (65) celebrates a first down with quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

For the second year in a row, veteran Texas center Jake Majors has been named to the Rimington Trophy preseason watchlist, an award given annually to the top center in the nation.

The former three-star recruit has started 41 of a possible 49 games in his four-year career with the Longhorns, anchoring the offensive line and snapping for five different quarterbacks during that time. 2024 will mark his fifth year with the university and third working with quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is a preseason Heisman favorite.

Majors was recognized with an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2023 on an offensive line that was a Joe Moore award semifinalist, given to the top offensive line group in the nation. Majors is the longest-tenured of the group with sixth-year Christian Jones leaving for the NFL draft, with potential starting left guard Hayden Conner being the only other player in Austin for more than three years.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks at his playbook with offensive lineman Jake Majors (65) during the game against Kansas State at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Rimington Award is one of the most prestigious offensive line awards in college football, with Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson taking home the award in 2023. Luckily for Majors, all three of the 2023 finalists have made their way to the NFL, leaving the award wide open for the veteran.

Though not a position that is often targeted in the NFL draft, Rimington award winners almost always coincide with being one, if not the first interior offensive lineman taken in the draft. Powers-Johnson went in the early second round in this past draft, while Tyler Linderbaum and Landon Dickerson were top 40 picks in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In fact, four of the last eight award winners were first-round picks. Majors would likely not be able to sniff the first round in the 2025 draft given his age, but winning an award like this could do wonders for his draft stock.

The 2024 watchlist is large, featuring 40 of the top centers in the nation, as decided by the Trophy committee and Pro Football Focus. Majors is one of 10 SEC nominees, with the conference taking up a quarter of the watchlist. Majors needs to be the best in college football to win the award, but many fans in Austin know he has the talent and mentality to do so.