Pitt Offensive Lineman Named to Trophy Watchlist

Pittsburgh Panthers offensive lineman Lyndon Cooper has been named to the 2025 Rimington Trophy Watchlist. Out of the 40 centers in college football nominated to this list, Cooper is one of just nine representing the ACC.

The Rimington Trophy has been given to the best center in college football every year since 2000. It is named after former acclaimed Nebraska center Dave Rimington. The award is given to the center that earns the most first-team All-American votes. Pitt has never had a player win the Rimington Trophy.

Cooper, who is a redshirt senior, was instrumental to last season's effective offensive. Cooper's strength and football IQ helped the offense work as a unit. He had a 94.0 pass-block win rate on 91 one-on-one snaps, which is some of the best stats at his position in the ACC.

Cooper's play helped quarterback Eli Holstein and running back Desmond Reid have standout seasons, for which they have also made multiple award watchlists.

Now, Cooper has been named to a list that gives him big expectations. Cooper himself holds high expectations for the rest of the offensive line. At ACC Football kickoff, he claimed that the O-line room is better than last year.

Pitt's O-line sees three returning players in Cooper, right guard BJ Williams and RT Ryan Baer. There are also the transfer portal pickups of Jeff Persi from Michigan and Keith Gouveia from Richmond.

Last season, the offensive line struggled due to injuries. The team went from scoring 42.3 points per in the first seven games to just 19.2 points in the last five regular season games.

Cooper joins a growing list of Pitt players named on award watchlists. This includes wide receiver Kenny Johnson and the linebacker duo of Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles.

As the talent on Pitt's roster becomes more recognized, the ceiling for what the team can accomplish in this upcoming season is raised higher.