Tide's Jones Finalist For Rimington Award

Much of the attention on Alabama senior center Barrett Jones this season was whether he could become the second man to win the Outland Award as the nation's best lineman. Dave Rimington, a center who played at Nebraska, is the only player to do it. Ironically, there is now an award named for Rimington, and Jones is one of six finalists for it.

Alabama senior center Barrett Jones was selected as one of six finalists for the 13th annual Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation's most outstanding center, the Rimington Trophy committee announced on Monday.

Jones, from Germantown, Tenn., is the third Crimson Tide player to be named a finalist for the Rimington Award, joining the likes of William Vlachos (2011) and Antoine Caldwell (2008).

Jones spent his first two years starting at right guard for Alabama, and when the Tide needed a left tackle in 2011, he moved over and won the Outland Trophy for the nation's best interior linemen. In 2012, Alabama needed to replace a three-year starter at center and Jones stepped up once again and has exceled at that position this year.

Jones is joined by Louisville’s Mario Benavides, Notre Dame’s Braxston Cave, Clemson’s Dalton Freeman, Southern California’s Khaled Holmes and Penn State’s Matt Stankiewitch as finalists.

Jones graded out at an average of 90.8 percent in the Tide's 12 regular season games, including nine games over 90 percent. He had just six missed assignments on 656 plays while anchoring one of the nation's top offensive lines in 49 starts over the last four years.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is selected by determining the consensus All-America center pick from four existing All-America teams including the American Football Coaches Association, The Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. 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 the most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by a majority vote from the Rimington Trophy committee.

Named after Dave Rimington, a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, the Rimington Trophy was founded in 2000 to honor the nation’s most outstanding center in NCAA Division I-A.

This year's Rimington Trophy will be revealed live on ESPNU during the ESPN Red Carpet Show, immediately preceding The Home Depot College Football Awards airing live from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk at the Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. (CST).

The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be recognized during pre-game festivities at the BCS National Championship game, featuring No. 2 Alabama and top-ranked Notre Dame at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 7. The 13th annual Rimington Trophy Presentation will be held at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 13, where the recipient of the Rimington Trophy will be honored.