Miami Hurricanes’ Ryan Rodriguez Named on Rimington Trophy Midseason Watchlist

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MIAMI, Fla. –Miami Hurricanes center Ryan Rodriguez was named to the midseason Rimington Trophy watch list on Thursday, ahead of Saturday’s in-state rivalry clash against the Florida State Seminoles.

Other nominees: North Dakota State’s Gage Schmidt, Michigan State’s Trent Fraley, Boise State’s Stewart Taufa, Cincinnati’s Taran Tyo, Virginia’s Drake Metcalf, Minnesota’s Greg Johnson, and Alabama’s Racin Delgatty.

The award is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football.

Rodriguez is in the midst of a remarkable comeback campaign. In six years of college football, the Miami native faced several battles with injuries. In 2021, as a freshman, Rodriguez only appeared in one game and primarily served on the practice squad. He didn’t play the following year while recovering from offseason surgery.

Throughout the 2023 season, Rodriguez appeared in six games, including a start at center against Rutgers in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The following year, in the season opener against Florida at The Swamp (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium), Rodriguez started at left guard.

It appeared the Miami native was finally in for a big break; however, a leg injury in the second half cost him the rest of the season.

Rodriguez saw the Hurricanes bring in three consecutive transfer portal veteran centers:

2023: Matt Lee (UCF 2019 – 2022)

2024: Zach Carpenter (Michigan and Indiana 2020 – 2023)

2025: James Brockermeyer (Alabama and TCU 2022 – 2024)

Given the current landscape of college sports, Rodriguez could have easily decided to explore the transfer portal, but never officially did. He stuck with the course and it’s currently paying off. In five games this season, Rodriguez has logged 284 snaps at center and hasn’t allowed a sack, pressure, hit, or hurry to quarterback Darian Mensah.

The 23-year-old has stepped up as a leader for the Hurricanes’ reconstructed offensive line, which has paved the way for the highest-scoring offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, averaging 49.6 points through five games.

Rodriguez is emerging as one of college football’s top-performing offensive linemen. As the Hurricanes are premier contenders for the National Championship, he is automatically under the spotlight. Rodriguez will have a big opportunity to showcase more on prime time against the Seminoles. Given all the injuries and setbacks, this will be the first time he’ll step at the line of scrimmage against the in-state rival.

Kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. E.T. and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

More Miami Hurricanes News:

– "Nick Saban Picks the Miami Hurricanes Over Everybody"

– "Miami Hurricanes Face Decommitment From Four-Star 2027 Recruit"

– "Three Disappointing Miami Hurricanes Players This Season"

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