For the second season in a row, Will Putnam has received preseason praise for his work with Clemson Football.
Putnam was again named to the Rimington Trophy preseason watchlist. The Rimington is awarded annually to the best center in college football.
Putnam was nominated last season before he had ever taken a nap in a real game for the Tigers. He has only played center in the 2022 spring game to that point. During his first seasons at Clemson, Putnam played guard.
The Rimington Trophy is named for Dave Rimington, who played center for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the late 1970s. It is part of fundraising efforts by the Boomer Esiason Foundation to further research on cystic fibrosis. Esiason’s son, Gunnar, lives with cystic fibrosis. The foundation has raised over $100 million.
The trophy was first awarded in 2000. The 2022 winner was Olusegun Oluwatimi from Michigan. Past winners include Tyler Linderbaum from Iowa, Landon Dickerson from Alabama and Pat Elflein from Ohio State.
Thirty-nine other players join Putnam on the preseason watchlist. Joining him from the Atlantic Coast Conference are Jacob Monk from Duke, Maurice Smith from Florida State, Bryan Hudson from Louisville, Matthew Lee from Miami, Dylan McMahom from North Carolina State and Jake Kradel from Pittsburgh.
Isaiah Helms from Appalachian State is the only other player from the Carolinas.
Other notable names include Sedrick Van Pran from Georgia, Cooper Mays from Tennessee, Seth McLaughlin from Alabama and Drake Nugent from Michigan.
Clemson Football has several players on preseason watchlists
Putnam joins multiple teammates who are now on watchlists, including Will Shipley, Jeremiah Trotter, Barrett Carter, Tyler Davis, Ruke Orhorhoro and his head coach Dabo Swinney.
Watchlist season isn’t over. Several more will be announced in the coming weeks.
- Mon., Aug. 7: Biletnikoff Award
- Tue., Aug. 8: Davey O’Brien Award
- Wed., Aug. 9: Doak Walker Award
- Thu., Aug. 10: Butkus Award/Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
- Fri., Aug. 11: Walter Camp Award
- Mon., Aug. 14: Bednarik Award