Mississippi State OL Cole Smith Named to 2023 Rimington Trophy Watchlist
Mississippi State offensive lineman Cole Smith was named to the watchlist for the Rimington Trophy this week, awarded annually to the best center in NCAA Division 1 college football.
Smith joins a list that includes 40 other centers from across the country in college football as graded by Pro Football Focus (PFF), who grades every player on every play of every game based on how well each player execute their given assignment.
When the season begins, schools can nominate their centers for late addition based on in-season merit.
Other SEC players named to the list include Beaux Limmer of Arkansas, Seth McLaughlin of Alabama, Sedrick Van Pran of Georgia, Cooper Mays of Tennessee, and Bryce Foster of Texas A&M.
Smith, who is a native of Pontotoc, MS, has been with the Bulldogs since the 2018 season, and will be entering this season as a graduate student, his final year of eligibility.
Smith started all 13 games last season for the Bulldogs and earned a PFF pass-block grade of 71.6 last season, allowing just one sack across 694 pass-blocking snaps. He earned a pass-blocking efficiency score of 98.7.
Mississippi State begins the 2023 football season under first-year head coach Zach Arnett on September 2, when the Bulldogs host Southeastern Louisiana in Starkville at 3 p.m. CT.
The game will air on SEC Network.
