Ohio State center Carson Hinzman named to Rimington Trophy watch list

COLUMBUS — Ohio State center Carson Hinzman learned from the Rimington Trophy winner a year ago. Seth McLaughlin won that award despite missing the final six games of the national championship season. Hinzman stepped in for McLaughlin for that title run, and he’s back to lead the Buckeyes offensive line.

So of course, Hinzman, a national champion center and starter of 18 games across two years for the Buckeyes, landed on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy on Friday. He’ll aim to become the second straight Ohio State center to win the award.

Ohio State previously had back-to-back Rimington Trophy winners in 2016 and 2017, when Pat Elflein won it a year before Billy Price took home the honor. Elflein, Price and McLaughlin joined LeCharles Bentley as the four Buckeyes centers to win the honor.

Now Hinzman has a chance to become the fifth with a dominant redshirt junior season at Ohio State.

Hinzman is part of a Buckeyes offensive line that returns him at center, Tegra Tshabola and Luke Montgomery at the two guard spots and Austin Siereveld as a swing lineman who has played both guard and tackle for the program. It’s slated to be one of the best offensive line groups in college football under new offensive line coach Tyler Bowen.

Hinzman, of course, started all 12 regular season games for the Buckeyes in the 2023 season before Ohio State replaced him with McLaughlin ahead of last season. That move turned out to be great for all parties involved.

McLaughlin won the Rimington Award, Hinzman learned from him before taking over once McLaughlin went down with an injury, and Ohio State won a national championship thanks to both of them.

Now Hinzman is among the best returning centers in college football. He’s on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy.