Tyler Linderbaum wins Rimington Trophy, but not Outland Trophy

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum is officially the best center in college football.

Linderbaum won the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the top center in college football, ESPN announced in its annual awards show Thursday night.

The Iowa standout beat out Boston College’s Alec Lindstrom and Virginia’s Olusegun Oluwatimi. He is the first Iowa player to win the award since it began in 2000.

Whichever center has the most first-team All-America votes from the Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp Foundation and Sporting News is the annual winner of the award.

He was also a finalist for the Outland Award, which goes to the best interior lineman in college football, but Jordan Davis of Georgia was the winner.

Linderbaum already won the Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award was a unanimous selection to the Associated Press all-Big Ten first team.

He also won Pro Football Focus Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year despite playing center. PFF graded Linderbaum as the top center by a wide margin in 2021 after also being the top center in 2020.

The 6-foot-3 Linderbaum earned midseason All-America honors from AP, CBS Sports, The Athletic and Sporting News.

A CBS Sports mock draft released Thursday projected Linderbaum as the No. 16 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Solon native became just the third athlete in Iowa history to be a finalist for the award last year. Alabama’s Landon Dickerson won the award over Linderbaum in 2020, though.

Linderbaum will be presented with the award in January during a separate award ceremony.

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