Iowa State offensive lineman Dylan Barrett stands for a portrait during Iowa State football media day at Jack Trice Stadium on July 25, 2025, in Ames. Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State Star Dylan Barrett Named to Exclusive Award Watch List

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Evan Dammarell | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 2:52 PM ET

Expectations are high for the Iowa State Cyclones heading into this season and some of their players are hoping to meet those expectations.

Iowa State offensive lineman Dylan Barrett has been named to the Rimington Trophy watch list. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in Division I college football. The Cyclones star is among one of 40 players in consideration for the award.

This year, the Rimington Trophy committee worked with Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow down its list to the top 40 centers. PFF grades every player on every play of every game on how well they execute their given assignment.

That play-by-play grading allowed the Trophy committee to create a watchlist based both on nominations from the schools and data provided by PFF. Once the season begins, schools will be able to nominate their centers for late addition based on in-season merit.

Since its inception, the award has raised more than $5 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation. 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 two-time winner as the nation's finest college interior lineman.

Does Iowa State's Dylan Barrett meet the standard for the Rimington Trophy?

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Barrett, a St. Charles, Illinois native, is entering his second season with the Cyclones. In his first season with the team following a transfer from Wisconsin, he started eight games at left guard last season and missed six games due to injury.

Spearheading an offensive line that dominated the ground, Barrett helped lead an Iowa State rushing attack that scored 27 touchdowns last season. That is tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history. The Cyclones also set a school record for total points in a season with 435. He's hoping help produce similar results this year.

"I sat down with Coach Campbell," Barrett said, "I think it's primarily guard. But I told Coach Campbell, 'Whatever way I can contribute to this team, I'm here to do.' Whether that's right, left guard, center, we'll see how it folds out in spring ball.

"It's kind of been a back-and-forth battle between guard and center throughout my college career. But I've had a couple years of experience at Wisconsin at center, came in a center here. So, I had a spring ball and almost a full summer at summer. I ended up moving to guard. I've had a good mix."

Iowa State opens the 2025 season August 23 in Dublin, Ireland against Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

This article first appeared on Iowa State Cyclones on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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