Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum won the Rimington Trophy, an honor given to the nation’s top center, Thursday night on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show.

Linderbaum, in his second consecutive year being nominated for the award, is the first Hawkeye to bring the honor to Iowa City. Austin Blythe and Bruce Nelson were finalists for the award in 2015 and 2002, respectively.

“It is an honor to be recognized with the Rimington Trophy, and to be the first Iowa Hawkeye to earn this honor,” Linderbaum said in a release. “I would like to thank my teammates, coach Kirk Ferentz, coach George Barnett as my position coach, and all the staff with Iowa football. I feel very fortunate to represent Iowa football in joining a long list of outstanding players who have previously earned this award. We have enjoyed a very enjoyable and successful season, and I look forward to preparing for and competing in the Citrus Bowl with my coaches and teammates.” 

All national awards are given to the player that has the most combined first-team votes from the Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp Foundation, and Sporting News All-America voting. Players have earned National Player of the Year honors 11 times in the Ferentz era.

Linderbaum was also a finalist for the 2021 Outland Trophy, which is given to the nation’s top interior lineman. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis won the trophy. Linderbaum also took home first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021, along with the Big Ten Conference’s Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award.

The junior center received Walter Camp first-team All-America honors on Thursday, as well. Senior cornerback Matt Hankins was named to the Walter Camp All-America second team.

Linderbaum started his Hawkeye career as a defensive lineman. But Ferentz and the Hawkeye coaching staff moved him to center ahead of his sophomore campaign in 2019.

Since then, the junior from Solon, Iowa, has started 34 consecutive games at center for the Hawkeyes. 

“The people I had helped me, my coaches, the players, all my teammates, you know, the credit goes to them,” Linderbaum said of his transition to center on Thursday night on ESPN. “It was definitely a rough start at first, but, you know, just keep working hard and trust my teammates and coaches. Without them, I don’t know where I’d be.”

Linderbaum is regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pro Football Focus has the center as the No. 7 pick in the draft. Linderbaum has not yet specified if he will declare for the 2022 NFL Draft, but has stressed that he will play in the Hawkeyes’ upcoming Citrus Bowl Jan. 1.