BATON ROUGE — LSU center Ben Wilkerson has been named one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy, which goes to college football’s top center, the awards committee announced on Thursday.
Other finalists for the award include Vince Carter of Oklahoma, Jake Grove of Virginia Tech, Norm Katnik of Southern Cal, Nick Leckey of Kansas State and Hugh Reilly of Georgia Tech.
Wilkerson, a junior from Hemphill, Texas, has started all 12 games for the Tigers this year, helping LSU to a school-record 11 wins with only one loss.
In 12 games in 2003, Wilkerson has recorded 12 pancakes and 75 knockdowns for an LSU offensive line that has surrendered only 13 sacks all season.
The winner of the trophy will be announced on Dec. 13 at an awards banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb.
Wilkerson joins LSU defensive tackle Chad Lavalais as the Tigers who have made the cut for national awards. Lavalais is among five finalists for the Nagurski Award and he’s one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy. The Nagurski Award goes to college football’s top defensive player, while the Outland Trophy is awarded to the top interior lineman in college football.