Temple University Athletics
Friend Makes Rimington Watch List
7.8.15 | Football, Kyle Friend - All-American Candidate
NEW YORK -- The Rimington Trophy Committee has released its 2015 Fall Watch List, which includes Temple's senior Kyle Friend among 50 of the best centers in Division I football.
After careful consideration, representatives from Division I football programs across the country submitted nominations to the Rimington Trophy committee and the watch list was created. These athletes are projected to excel at the center position in the upcoming season. A nominee for a second year in a row, Friend is among 17 other returning centers previously included.
Friend, who has started 33 consecutive games for the Owls including the last 28 at center, has made the list for the second straight year. Last season he was named second team All-American Athletic Conference while anchoring a line that improved its sack total by 33% (21 sacks allowed after 32 the previous year). In fact, Temple quarterbacks were sacked just once per 19.2 pass attempts – the best mark in school history.
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Friend (6-2, 305) combines skill and durability with strength, quickness and intelligence. He currently bench presses 225-pounds at 43 repetitions and runs the 40 in 4.95 seconds. A three time academic all-conference selection, he holds a 3.35 GPA in business management.
Click here for entire list
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The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 16, 2016. The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.Â
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Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2.6 million for the cystic fibrosis community. The fourteen-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $115 million for CF Research.
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Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.
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After careful consideration, representatives from Division I football programs across the country submitted nominations to the Rimington Trophy committee and the watch list was created. These athletes are projected to excel at the center position in the upcoming season. A nominee for a second year in a row, Friend is among 17 other returning centers previously included.
Friend, who has started 33 consecutive games for the Owls including the last 28 at center, has made the list for the second straight year. Last season he was named second team All-American Athletic Conference while anchoring a line that improved its sack total by 33% (21 sacks allowed after 32 the previous year). In fact, Temple quarterbacks were sacked just once per 19.2 pass attempts – the best mark in school history.
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Friend (6-2, 305) combines skill and durability with strength, quickness and intelligence. He currently bench presses 225-pounds at 43 repetitions and runs the 40 in 4.95 seconds. A three time academic all-conference selection, he holds a 3.35 GPA in business management.
Click here for entire list
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About the Rimington TrophyThe Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy Presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday, January 16, 2016. The Rimington Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football.Â
Â
Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2.6 million for the cystic fibrosis community. The fourteen-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $115 million for CF Research.
Â
Dave Rimington, the award's namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy's only double winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.
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Players Mentioned
OL
/ FootballKolin Dinkins, 4/11/28
Saturday, April 11
Jaylon Joseph, 4/11/26
Saturday, April 11
JoJo Bermudez, 4/11/26
Saturday, April 11
Jaxon Smolik, 4/11/26
Saturday, April 11
