
Florida football center Jake Slaughter projected to win 2025 Rimington Trophy
Florida football center Jake Slaughter projected to win 2025 Rimington Trophy
The college football season kicks off in just over three months, but the anticipation ahead of America's favorite sport has many already looking ahead to the fall campaign.
One of the many too-early questions posited by prognosticators is which players will win which regular-season awards when the schedule concludes. CBS Sports writer Will Backus decided to take a stab at the topic recently, predicting college football award winners for the 2025 campaign.
Among the projected award winners — which leaned heavily on the Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers — was Florida Gators starting center Jake Slaughter, who was named the top candidate for the Rimington Trophy, which honors the top player in the nation at that position.
Why Jake Slaughter will win the Rimington Trophy
"Slaughter would likely have been the first center off the board if he declared for the 2025 NFL draft, but he elected to run it back for another year with what looks like a promising Florida team," Backus begins.
"He's long been an anchor in the middle of the Gators' offensive line, and he's coming off a 2024 season in which he earned second-team CBS Sports All-American and first-team All-SEC honors. Slaughter took 402 pass-block snaps last year and only allowed one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. That type of dominance at a key position should net him some hardware."
Breaking down Jake Slaughter's skill set
Pro Football Focus (PFF) awarded Slaughter an impressive 83.9 overall grade, making him the highest-graded returning center in the country.
Slaughter, a redshirt senior, has not only met but exceeded expectations throughout his collegiate career. After stepping in as a starter during the 2023 season, Slaughter solidified his role in 2024, delivering standout performances that earned him First-Team All-American honors.
Slaughter's incredible skills in pass protection were highlighted last season as he allowed just one sack over 402 pass-blocking snaps. Even with run-blocking, PFF marked him as the team's top run-blocker.
Listed at 6-foot-4-inches and 308 pounds, the offensive lineman originally from Sparr, Florida, is a consensus first-round pick among early 2026 NFL draft projections.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
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