Austin Quattrochi named to Rimington Watch List

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss senior center Austin Quattrochi has been named to the preseason watch list for the 51st annual Rimington Trophy, released by the Boomer Esiason Foundation and National College Football Awards Association, on Tuesday.

In all, there are 51 players on the Watch List. The Southeastern Conference leads the way with ten players. The Big Ten follows with six players, while the ACC, Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, and the PAC-12 all check in with five players each. In addition, there are two graduate students and eight sophomores on the Watch List.

Quattrochi, a native of Marietta, Ga., has appeared in 36 games over his career and will be the team's most experienced lineman on a unit that lost just one starter from the 2011 Conference USA championship group. Behind just two fellow seniors, Quattrochi has appeared in more games than any other active Golden Eagle player.

Additionally, in his two seasons as the full-time starter, the Golden Eagle offense increased its production substantially each season, including a record 6,459 yards of total offense in 2011.

While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:

* American Football Coaches Association

* Walter Camp Foundation

* Sporting News

* Football Writers Association of America

Because the selectors of these four All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The organization works under a policy to count all players that play primarily the Center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the four All American teams.

The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.

The winner will be honored at Rimington Trophy Presentation banquet at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 12, 2013.