In the spring of 2007, Florida State center Ryan McMahon was an unknown commodity who anyone around the FSU football program had hardly ever noticed.

That was before first-year offensive line coach Rick Trickett saw him, fell in love with his work ethic, and made him the Seminoles’ starting center last season. McMahon took every snap in 2007, and enters the 2008 season as one of the nation’s top centers.

If you’re looking for validation, McMahon is one of 42 centers on the initial watch list for the Rimington Trophy. Here is the official press release:

New York—Florida State center Ryan McMahon is one of 42 centers on the initial watch list for the Rimington Trophy. The award is sponsored by the Boomer Esiason Foundation and is presented to the top center in America. A Seminole has never won the trophy in its nine-year history.

McMahon, a converted defensive lineman, went on to have one of the best seasons in America by a young center. He was the only freshman or sophomore in the FBS to take every offensive snap for his team at the center position. The Rome, GA native was named a Rivals First Team Freshman All-American, College Football News First Team Freshman All-American, AON/FWAA Freshman All-American, TSN Second Team Freshman All-American, Sporting News All-ACC Freshman Team, Rivals All-ACC Freshman Team and Miami Herald All-Florida Team.

In 2007 McMahon graded out either first or second seven times in 13 games and was the top lineman in games versus Miami, Maryland and Duke. Three times in 2007 he went an entire game without missing an assignment and he was not flagged for a penalty all year despite being on the field for every single offensive snap. McMahon allowed just two sacks in 959 plays and recorded 20 knockdowns and in a system where a grade of 68% is passing, McMahon graded out at 78% or better seven times in pass blocking.

Past recipients of the Rimington Trophy include Nebraska’s Dominic Raiola, Ohio State’s LeCharles Bentley, Miami’s Brett Romberg, Virginia Tech’s Jake Grove, co-winners Michigan’s David Baas and LSU’s Ben Wilkerson, Minnesota’s Greg Eslinger, West Virginia’s Dan Mozes and Arkansas’ Jonathan Luigs.  Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $1.3 million for the award’s benefactor, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is hosted by the Boomer Esiason Foundation that to date has raised over $65 million for CF research.

Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first team All-America Center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the John Outland Trophy’s only double winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman.

The Rimington Trophy is a fully accredited member of the National College Football Awards Association. The committee uses these four prestigious teams to determine a winner:

American Football Coaches Association
Walter Camp Foundation
The Sporting News
Football Writers Association of America