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Center Lonergan on Rimington Trophy Watch List

by Bill Martin (@LSUBillMartin)
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Center Lonergan on Rimington Trophy Watch List

BATON ROUGE – LSU junior center P.J. Lonergan is one of 42 players who have earned a spot on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented annually to college football’s most outstanding center, it was announced on Friday.

Lonergan headlines a list of six Southeastern Conference centers who are candidates.

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner: American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America.

The winner will be honored at the Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 14, 2012. The 12-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $86 million for CF Research.

Lonergan, a native of New Orleans, has started 14 consecutive games at center for the Tigers dating back to the 2010 Capital One Bowl. The junior shined in his first year as a full-time starter in 2010, playing a team-high 855 snaps with a team-best 76 knockdowns.

Lonergan came up with his best all-around game in the 2011 Cotton Bowl when he racked up a career-best 12 knockdowns in 76 snaps.

LSU has produced one Rimington Trophy winner in its illustrious football history when Ben Wilkerson captured the award during his All-America season of 2004.

2011 Rimington Trophy Watch List

Chris Anzevino, Kent State, 6’2″, 305, Senior
Eloy Atkinson, UTEP, 6’3″, 300, Junior
Mario Benavides, Louisville, 6’4″, 300, Junior
Philip Blake, Baylor, 6’2″, 315, Senior
Ben Bojicic, Bowling Green, 6’4″, 295, Senior
Colin Boss, Middle Tennessee State, 6’4″, 310, RS Senior
Mike Brewster, Ohio State, 6’5″, 305, Senior
Terence Brown, BYU, 6’4″, 330, Senior
Ben Burkett, Northwestern, 6’4″, 300, Senior
Thomas Byrd, Boise State, 5’11”, 288, Senior
Mike Caputo, Nebraska, 6’1″, 275, Senior
Nick Carlson, Wyoming, 6’4″, 292, Junior
Tom Castilaw, Arkansas State, 6’3″, 280, RS Senior
Braxton Cave, Notre Dame, 6’3″, 303, Senior
Trent Dupy, Tulsa, 6’2″, 285, Junior
Dillon Farrell, New Mexico, 6’5″, 290, RS Sophomore
James Ferentz, Iowa, 6’2″, 284, Junior
Dalton Freeman, Clemson, 6’5″, 285, Junior
Kevin Galeher, Western Michigan, 6’4″, 312, Junior
Grant Garner, Oklahoma State, 6’3″, 289, Senior
Garth Gerhart, Arizona State, 6’2″, 295, RS Senior
Jeremiah Hatch, Kansas, 6’3″, 332, Senior
A.J. Hawkins, Mississippi, 6’3″, 313, Junior
Cam Holland, North Carolina, 6’2″, 320, Senior
Tyler Horn, Miami, 6’4″, 305, Senior
Grant Johnson, Oregon State, 6’3″, 293, Senior
T.J. Johnson, South Carolina, 6’4″, 314, Junior
Ben Jones, Georgia, 6’3″, 316, Junior
Peter Konz, Wisconsin, 6’5″, 313, RS Junior
Tyler Larsen, Utah State, 6’4″, 297, Sophomore
P.J. Lonergan, LSU, 6’4″, 300, Junior
Joe Madsen, West Virginia, 6’4″, 300, RS Junior
Kai Maiava, UCLA, 6’1″, 318, RS Senior
Blake McJunkin, SMU, 6’2″, 290, Senior
David Molk, Michigan, 6’2″, 288, RS Senior
Brian Moore, Duke, 6’2″, 285, RS Junior
Moe Petrus, Connecticut, 6’2″, 302, RS Senior
Weston Richburg, Colorado State, 6’4″, 302, Sophomore
Darion Smith, UAB, 6’2″, 280, Senior
Matt Smith, Kentucky, 6’4″, 303, Junior
Travis Swanson, Arkansas, 6’5″, 305, RS Sophomore
William Vlachos, Alabama, 6’1″, 294, Senior
Scott Wedige, Northern Illinois, 6’4″, 314, RS Senior