Brett Neilon Named a Finalist for the Rimington Trophy
On Monday, USC center Brett Neilon was officially named a Finalist for the Rimington Trophy.
Since 2000, the Rimington Trophy has been presented annually to the top center in all of college football. To date, no USC player has won the award. Khaled Holmes was the Trojans’ most recent Finalist in 2012.
In addition to Neilon, the other Finalists for this year’s award are Olusegun Oluwatimi of Michigan and John Michael Schmitz of Minnesota. ESPN will announce the winner at its College Football Awards Show this Thursday.
Brett Neilon’s USC Legacy
Neilon originally signed with USC as a four-star recruit all the way back in 2017. After redshirting his first year on campus and serving as a backup the following season, Neilon served as the Trojans’ starting center for the next three seasons.
Following a disappointing 2021 campaign for USC, he elected to return for his sixth and final year of eligibility. The decision has certainly paid off, as Neilon has enjoyed his best collegiate season yet. This year, he has blocked for quarterback Caleb Williams, who was recently named a Heisman Trophy Finalist.
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Unfortunately, Neilon’s USC career came to a premature end, as he suffered a lower leg injury during the fourth quarter of Friday’s Pac 12 Championship Game. On Sunday, head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed that Neilon will not be available for the Cotton Bowl against Tulane, thus ending his career in the Cardinal and Gold.
However, the injury should not take away from all that Neilon accomplished during his time at USC. As he leaves school and looks to pursue a career in the NFL, he will do so as one of the greatest centers in school history.
Winning the Rimington Trophy on Thursday would only validate what USC fans have known for quite some time now: not only is Brett Neilon one of the best centers to ever come through USC, but he is one of the best in all of college football.
