Josh Myers Named Rimington Trophy Finalist
Coming into the season, the Ohio State offensive line was expected to be one of the real bedrocks of a Buckeyes team that finds themselves on the precipice of playing for a national championship. That group was so well-respected that two of the Buckeye captains were right guard Wyatt Davis and center Josh Myers, each of whom have had a great season.
Josh Myers found out on Tuesday afternoon that he's been named one of three finalists nationally for the Rimington Trophy, which is given each year to the top center in college football.
Myers is trying to become the third Ohio State center in the last five seasons to earn that award after Pat Elflein won in 2016 and Billy Price took home the trophy in 2017.
Last Saturday in the Big Ten title game, Myers helped pave the way for Trey Sermon to run for a school-record 331 yards to help Ohio State come from behind to beat Northwestern and win a fourth straight conference championship.
Myers, who made his return to the field on Saturday for the first time since the Indiana game after he was diagnosed with CoVID-19, is truly one of the most respected voices on the team. You can feel his passion and his heart in his words. In that game against the Hoosiers, Myers wore his deceased grandfather's old jersey number and presented the jersey to his grandmother. At the time, Myers didn't know that it would be his final game at The Shoe this season. His selfless nature is part of what makes him such an effective leader, but his ability to play his position also takes a great deal of knowledge and concentration.
Alabama center Landon Dickerson and Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum are the other finalists for this year's Rimington Trophy - both of whom are bona fide NFL talents. Dickerson suffered an injury in the SEC championship game against Florida and won't be on the field for the Rose Bowl game between the Crimson Tide and Notre Dame.
In another show of his empathy and leadership, Myers visited with the media after the Big Ten title game and sympathized with some of his teammates that weren't able to play on Saturday.
Meanwhile, here's what the official Rimington Trophy release said about Myers.
"Josh Myers has been a force at center for the Buckeyes in 2020. He was named first-team All-Big Ten Conference for the four-time defending Big Ten champions. He’s helped the Buckeyes to a Top 5 national ranking, and first in the Big Ten, in rushing with 275.7 yards per game, an average that includes three consecutive 300-plus yard games the last three games and a per-game average of 342.0 during that streak. Myers also is a leader of an Ohio State offense that is the only offense in the Power Five that averages at least 250 yards rushing and passing per game."
The winner of this year's award will be announced on Jan. 7, 2021 as part of The Home Depot College Football Awards.
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