Jacob Gideon Named Finalist for the Rimington Trophy
Football
Jacob Gideon Named Finalist for the Rimington Trophy
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan redshirt senior center Jacob Gideon has been named a finalist for the prestigious Rimington Trophy, the award given out to the nation's top player at that position.
Gideon becomes the first Bronco in program history to be named a finalist and just the second in the history of the Mid-American Conference, joining Bowling Green's Kory Lichtensteiger (2006).
Gideon is in his fifth and final season at Western Michigan. After red-shirting as a freshman, he immediately stepped in and started all 12 games during the 2021 season as a guard. In 2022, he quickly established himself as the premiere center in the Mid-American Conference, starting in 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
He bounced back and started all 12 games in 2023 and was named First Team All-MAC. He repeated the honors in 2024. Gideon has been named the top center in the MAC by Pro Football Focus in each of the last two seasons. The Broncos produced a 1,000-yard rusher in three of the four seasons in which he was a starter.
The Union, Ky., native also takes care of things in the classroom as a two-time Academic All-MAC selection. He was also named CSC Academic All-District in 2023.
Gideon and the Broncos are in action this Saturday at the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. WMU takes on South Alabama at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Ticket information is available at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.
Gideon becomes the first Bronco in program history to be named a finalist and just the second in the history of the Mid-American Conference, joining Bowling Green's Kory Lichtensteiger (2006).
Gideon is in his fifth and final season at Western Michigan. After red-shirting as a freshman, he immediately stepped in and started all 12 games during the 2021 season as a guard. In 2022, he quickly established himself as the premiere center in the Mid-American Conference, starting in 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
He bounced back and started all 12 games in 2023 and was named First Team All-MAC. He repeated the honors in 2024. Gideon has been named the top center in the MAC by Pro Football Focus in each of the last two seasons. The Broncos produced a 1,000-yard rusher in three of the four seasons in which he was a starter.
The Union, Ky., native also takes care of things in the classroom as a two-time Academic All-MAC selection. He was also named CSC Academic All-District in 2023.
Gideon and the Broncos are in action this Saturday at the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. WMU takes on South Alabama at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Ticket information is available at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.
