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Photo by: Eric Miller
Schmitz Returning to Minnesota for 2022 Season
12/13/2021 10:22:00 PM | Football
Center should be an early favorite for the 2022 Rimington Award, which is presented to the best center in college football
University of Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz announced today that he was returning to Minnesota for the 2022 season. Schmitz will be an early favorite for the 2022 Rimington Trophy, which is presented annually to the best center in college football.
Greg Eslinger is the only Gopher to ever win the Rimington Trophy, which he earned in 2005. Eslinger also received the Outland Trophy that year, which is presented annually to college football's best interior lineman.
This year he anchored the most experienced offensive line in the nation and was named Second-Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and PFF. The media tabbed him Third-Team All-Big Ten and he was also named to the PFF Team of the Week for week seven.
Schmitz is one of four Gophers on offense who recently decided to return to campus for an encore season. He joins quarterback Tanner Morgan, running back Mohamed Ibrahim and wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell as players who all decided to compete one more season for the Gophers.
Greg Eslinger is the only Gopher to ever win the Rimington Trophy, which he earned in 2005. Eslinger also received the Outland Trophy that year, which is presented annually to college football's best interior lineman.
Schmitz has played in 43 career games after redshirting in 2017 and playing on special teams in 2018. The Flossmoor, Ill, native played in 13 games in 2019 and started four of them at center. Since then he has started 22 games at center and routinely is one of the highest-graded centers in the country according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).Let's run it back one more time😈 @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/iMTvvisRfd
— John Michael Schmitz (@jmschmitz1999) December 13, 2021
This year he anchored the most experienced offensive line in the nation and was named Second-Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and PFF. The media tabbed him Third-Team All-Big Ten and he was also named to the PFF Team of the Week for week seven.
Schmitz is one of four Gophers on offense who recently decided to return to campus for an encore season. He joins quarterback Tanner Morgan, running back Mohamed Ibrahim and wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell as players who all decided to compete one more season for the Gophers.
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