Michael Hershey’s name keeps climbing, and Maryland’s center now has another national nod to show for it. Hershey was placed on the Rimington Trophy Watch List, a sign that he’s being measured among the country’s top centers as the Terps head toward the 2026 season.
The Rimington Trophy carries real weight in college football because it was built to give centers the spotlight they long went without. The award traces back to 2000, when sportswriter Syd Russell, while digging through award history, noticed every position had its own honor except center. He pushed for the new trophy to be named after Dave Rimington, Nebraska’s two-time Outland Trophy winner, a player who also stacked up consecutive All-America honors and claimed the Big Eight’s Offensive Player of the Year award.
Russell and Rimington later teamed with Boomer Esiason and the Boomer Esiason Foundation to back the award, tying the trophy to the Foundation’s work for the cystic fibrosis community. More than 25 years on, the Rimington Trophy still does two jobs at once: it recognizes the best center in the country and helps generate funds and awareness for CF.
This year’s watch list is packed with experienced names from across the sport. Duke’s Matt Craycraft and Pittsburgh’s Ryan Carretta headline the ACC group.
The American Athletic Conference brings in veterans such as Navy’s Cam Nichols and FAU’s Vincent Fiacable. The Big 12 and Conference USA feature a blend of rising juniors and fifth-year linemen, while Notre Dame’s Ashton Craig stands as the lone independent on the list.
The Big Ten group is especially strong, with established starters from Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and Maryland all included. The SEC rounds things out with a deep crop of experienced centers, including LSU’s Braelin Moore and Texas A&M’s Mark Nabou Jr. Taken together, the watch list shows just how veteran-heavy and competitive the position is nationwide.
For Hershey, the recognition fits the season he put together in 2025. As a sophomore, he started all 12 games at center and helped stabilize a Maryland front that gave up just nine sacks, tied for the third-fewest in the nation. He also played a major role in the run game, including Maryland’s season-best 305 rushing yards against Rutgers, and he posted a 94.3 PFF pass-blocking grade against UCLA, the team’s top mark of the year.
His first career start gave an early look at what Maryland had in him. In that game, the Terps scored 39 points, didn’t allow a sack, and rolled up 380 yards against FAU.
By season’s end, Hershey’s performance, leadership, and sportsmanship earned him the A.V. Williams Award at the team’s year-end banquet.
He also picked up PFF’s Big Ten Center of the Week honors for his work in Maryland’s 39-7 win over Florida Atlantic, a game in which the Terps controlled the line of scrimmage from the opening snap. That kind of steadiness and physical play became his calling card throughout the year.
Now the rising junior enters another season with momentum behind him. The watch list spot adds national recognition to a résumé already built on toughness, consistency, and leadership, and it leaves Hershey positioned to keep shaping Maryland’s offensive front in 2026.
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Clint Trickett has also pointed to the overall strength of Marylands tight end room, with Fleming and Preston Howard giving the offense real depth at a spot that can matter in a lot of different ways. Fleming has spent the offseason working to improve his blocking, a sign he knows the next step is not just being a receiving threat but becoming the kind of all-around option that can stay on the field in any situation. [Read more 🡒]