NEW YORK – Delaware’s Steven Demboski and Liberty’s Aaron Fenimore have been selected to the 2026 Rimington Trophy Preseason Watch List, announced Thursday by the organization. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding center.
 
Demboski, a 2025 Second Team All-CUSA selection, started 11 games at center last season. According to PFF, he did not allow a sack all season in his first year as the full-time starter. He was named the CUSA Offensive Lineman of the Week after making his season debut in the 44-41 OT win over UConn after missing the first two games due to injury. Under his leadership, the Delaware rushing attack had its best game on the ground, accounting for five rushing touchdowns and 247 rushing yards for an average of 5.5 yards per attempt in the team's first FBS home win.
 
A cornerstone of Liberty's offensive line, Fenimore started all 12 games at center and never missed an offensive snap, leading the team with 836 snaps while playing 98.6 percent of the Flames' offensive plays. A 2025 HERO Sports Preseason Group of Five All-America Second Team selection, he earned spots on the preseason and midseason Lombardi Award Watch Lists, as well as the Outland and Rimington Trophy Watch Lists. Graded as Liberty's top offensive lineman by PFF (73.5), he helped power the nation's 26th-ranked rushing attack and pave the way for Evan Dickens' 1,339-yard, 16-touchdown season.
 
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.
 
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