PROVO, Utah-Friday, BYU football sophomore center James Empey was named to the watch list for the 2019 Rimington Trophy as confirmed via press release.

The Rimington Trophy is annually presented to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I FBS college football.

The award is named in honor of former Nebraska star center Dave Rimington, a consensus first-team All-American for the Cornhuskers in 1981 and 1982.

The durable 6-4 300-pound lineman out of American Fork High School started all 13 games for the Cougars in 2018.

He was also named as the top freshman center in college football by Pro Football Focus and the best freshman lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus after the New Mexico State game in 2018, a 45-10 win for the Cougars last November 17.

The winner of the Rimington trophy is determined by pooling the results of all-star teams selected by the Walter Camp Foundation, the Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America.

The winner will be presented with the award January 18, 2020 at the Rococo Theater of Lincoln, Neb.