Senior center Joel Nitchman is one of 44 players on the 2009 Rimington Trophy Spring Watch List released Wednesday. The award is given yearly to the best center in college football.
The 6-foot-3, 296-pound Nitchman has been MSU's starter the past two seasons. He played all 13 games in 2008 as a junior, and he earned his first start as a sophomore in 2007 in the season opener against Alabama-Birmingham, a game in which MSU totaled 593 total yards.
He played in 10 games that season and made eight starts. In his redshirt freshman season, he made just one appearance on the field, but graded out at 100% in that game against Eastern Michigan.
The last MSU player to make the Rimington Trophy Watch List was Chris Morris in 2005. Morris is with the Oakland Raiders.
Also on the Watch List are Central Michigan junior Colin Miller and Michigan sophomore David Molk.
WEIS ON MSU: Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is completing his "preseason research project,"
examining the first three weeks of the Irish's 2008 season.
He shared his conclusions on Twitter after three days of studying film of Notre Dame's 23-7 loss to MSU.
Among the better quotes: "Having watched multiple games on Michigan State, I was very disappointed in last year's game. The defense held us in the game, but offensive production, including critical turnovers, cost us a chance at a big win on the road."
