Courtesy of Air Force Athletics

Air Force senior center Costen Cooley was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, the organization announced. Cooley is one of 40 centers nationally named to the list, which is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football.

Cooley, a second-team all-Mountain West selection last season, anchored an offensive line that helped Air Force average 224.0 yards per game which ranked fourth in the Mountain West and 10th nationally. The offensive line powered the way for the Falcons to lead the conference and rank second nationally in time of possession with a 33:50 mark. Air Force averaged 29.3 points, 302.1 yards rushing, 372.3 total yards and a 38:30 mark in time of possession the last four games.

This year, the Trophy committee worked with Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow down its list to the top 40 centers. PFF grades every player on every play of every game on how well they execute their given assignment. That play-by-play grading allowed the Trophy committee to create a watchlist based both on nominations from the schools and data provided by PFF. Once the season begins, schools will be able to nominate their centers for late addition based on in-season merit.

While more than a dozen All-America teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee uses these three prestigious teams to determine a winner: Walter Camp Foundation (WCF), Sporting News (SN), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Because the selectors of these three All-America teams can place centers in a “mix” of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. The Rimington Trophy committee’s policy is to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they may be listed as guards or tackles on the All- America teams. 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, provided with data from Pro Football Focus.

Air Force opens the 2025 season Saturday, Aug. 30, vs. Bucknell at 1:30 p.m. in Falcon Stadium. To purchase or renew Air Force football season tickets, please visit www.aftickets.com or call 719-472-1895.

For information on premium seating, including the East Club presented by L3Harris at the Kucera Legacy Center and the Blue & Silver Club, please click HERE or call the Falcon Athletic Fund at 719-333-4545 to purchase.

About the Rimington Trophy
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. Since its inception, the award has raised over $5 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy’s only two-time winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.