By Danielle Daniels

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the second time in four days, Purdue center Gus Hartwig made an award watch list for the 2023 football season. Closing out the week, Hartwig was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in college football. 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 Outland Trophy’s only two-time winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman. Hartwig landed on the Outland Trophy Watch List earlier this week.

Hartwig was one of five Big Ten centers to make the watch list. The Rimington Trophy Committee joined Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow down the list to the nation’s top 40 centers heading into the 2023 campaign.

Hartwig has been a catalyst on the Purdue offensive line since coming to West Lafayette in 2020, earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten all three years as a Boilermaker. He has played in 30 games over his collegiate career, starting 27 of them. Beginning with his sophomore season, Hartwig started 24 straight games before suffering an injury during the Northwestern game (Nov. 19, 2022) that sidelined him for the remainder of his junior year. A year ago, his blocking helped the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in passing while also paving the way for Devin Mockobee to set the Purdue freshman record for rushing yards in a single season (968).

The Zionsville, Indiana, native has excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big Ten accolades twice. Later this month, Hartwig will graduate from Purdue with a degree in finance before pursuing a master’s degree in global supply chain management.

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