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Gators center Jake Slaughter named to Rimington Trophy watch list

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr08/08/25On3Keith
Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter (UAA Photo)
Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter (UAA Photo)

Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter was a consensus All-American last season, but he did not win the Rimington Trophy, which goes to college football’s most outstanding center. In fact, somehow he was not even a finalist and ultimately Seth McLaughlin of national champion Ohio State claimed the award.

Friday, Slaughter, now a senior, was named to the Rimington Trophy watch list for 2025, along with 39 other players. Given the amount of preseason recognition he has received, he has to be considered a favorite. Slaughter started all 13 games at center last season and led the Gators offensive line in snaps with 800

“Jake is an All-American and an All-SEC player,” Gators coach Billy Napier said during SEC Media Days. “He was voted team captain by his teammates last year, and he very much lives it out. He’s a guy that sets the tone every day, he’s a pace-setter, and he’s a great football player, but he’s an evenbetter person and leader … he’s got his degree in agricultural education and communication. He’s SEC honor roll member every year.”

Jake Slaughter has gotten lots of offseason press

Slaughter recently was named to the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman as selected by the Football Writers Association of America. He has been named preseason All-SEC by numerous outlets and Pro Football Focus calls him the best returning offensive player in the SEC.

Wrote PFF: “Slaughter was the only Power Four center to earn 80.0-plus PFF grades as a pass blocker and a run blocker in 2024. His 85.8 PFF overall grade since 2023 trails only Jackson Powers-Johnson among Power Four centers. He moves very well at 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, allowing him to dominate in a zone-blocking scheme.”

Per a release, The Rimington Trophy is “named after University of Nebraska’s 1981 and 1982 All-America center Dave Rimington. At that time Rimington was the only player to win the Outland Trophy twice and went on to play in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals. Following his NFL career, Rimington started to get involved in the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which was started by his NFL teammate Boomer Esiason for his son Gunnar who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. The foundation works to provide financial support for research regarding a cure for the disease. Rimington has served as the president of this foundation since 1995 and the Rimington Trophy has been sponsored by the foundation for over 15 years, raising over $5 million.”

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is determined by “using the first teams listed by the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America. The player that receives the most first team votes from these three publications is named the winner of the trophy.’

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