Football: UL center Huval named to Rimington trophy watch list

UL offensive lineman Andre Huval participates in practice at the Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility in Lafayette. / Leslie Westbrook, The Advertiser

UL senior-to-be Andre Huval was named today to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the top center among NCAA FBS teams.

It’s the second straight year Huval was picked.

He is one of 44 players on the watch list, which includes nine centers from SEC schools, and one of 17 returning players from the 2012 list.

The 6-foot-1, 290-pound product of St. Thomas More High has started all 26 games at center the last two seasons for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who went 9-4 and won the New Orleans Bowl in both 2011 and 2012.

Other Sun Belt Conference centers on the list are Western Kentucky senior Sean Conway and Arkansas State sophomore Bryce Giddens.

The Rimington Trophy committee considers picks from four All-American teams – the American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America – to determine its winner.

Alabama’s Barrett Jones was 2013-season Rimington recipient.

The winner of this season’s trophy – named after former University of Nebraska center Dave Rimington – will be honored at a Jan. 11, 2014, banquet in Lincoln, Neb.

Also this month, UL junior quarterback Terrance Broadway was one of 31 players named to the preseason watch list for saturdayblitz.com’s 2013 Detmer Award.

That award is presented to the best individual performer from a non-BCS automatic qualifying conference, of which the Sun Belt is one.

It has been been awarded twice previously, to University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum two seasons ago and Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish last season.

Others on this year’s watch list include Harnish and two others besides Broadway from the Sun Belt, Western Kentucky running back Antonio Andrews and UL Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning.

Broadway, who is from Baton Rouge, transferred to UL from Houston and took over as the Cajuns’ starting quarterback after Blaine Gautier broke two bones in his throwing hand early last season.