Pitt offensive lineman Ryan Carretta has landed on the 2026 Rimington Trophy Watch List, giving the redshirt junior another spotlight as the preseason honors start to roll out.
The award goes each year to the top center in NCAA Division I football, and Carretta is part of a 40-player watch list announced Thursday. He’s also one of just three players from the Atlantic Coast Conference to make the preseason group.
Carretta’s 2025 season showed how valuable he’s become for Pitt. He played in 11 games and set a career high with seven starts at left guard.
The year before, he was on the field for all 13 games in 2024, working as a reserve guard and contributing on Pitt’s field goal and PAT units. That season also earned him a spot on the All-ACC Academic Football Team.
Before that, Carretta spent his first season in Pittsburgh in 2023 without appearing in a game and took a redshirt.
The Galena, Ohio, native came to Pitt after a standout run at St. Charles Prep.
As a senior, he picked up first-team All-Ohio Division II, first-team All-Central District and Columbus Dispatch first-team All-Metro honors. He also was a National Honor Society member and served as student body president.
The Rimington Trophy committee worked with Pro Football Focus to narrow the field to the top 40 centers, using school nominations and PFF’s play-by-play data. Players can still be added during the season if they earn it.
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