KU center Mesa Ribordy makes spring watch list

By Benton Smith     May 22, 2017

Nick Krug
The Jayhawks signal a touchdown by Kansas running back Khalil Herbert (10) during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 at Memorial Stadium.

Just one season into his college football career at the University of Kansas, sophomore offensive lineman Mesa Ribordy finds himself on the Rimington Trophy Committee’s spring watch list, tracking Division I’s top centers for the 2017 season.

After joining the program as a walk-on in 2015, Ribordy made his debut for the Jayhawks in 2016, starting 11 games. The Louisburg native first proved his worth at guard before moving to center late in his redshirt freshman season.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman, now on scholarship, began each offensive play with his hand on the ball during the final five weeks and never recorded a bad snap for Kansas.

At center, charged with calling out protections at the line of scrimmage, Ribordy, according to KU’s count, missed just 10 assignments on 800 plays. On the season, he was credited with 27 knock-down blocks.

Ribordy missed some time during KU’s spring practices due to a knee injury but projects as the team’s starting center this coming fall.

Teams throughout FBS submitted the names of their starting centers for the Rimington watch list. The eventual winner will be determined using the All-American teams of the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. The center with the most first-team votes will be named the 2017 Remington Trophy winner, at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018.

More than 60 centers made the initial watch list.

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