David Molk Named Finalist for 2011 Rimington Trophy

Former standout David Molk — a senior at the University of Michigan — has been named a finalist for the 2011 Rimington Trophy, which is presented each year to the nation's most outstanding center.

On Monday, the National College Football Awards Association announced six finalists for the award:

• Dalton Freeman, Clemson (6-foot-5, 285 pounds)
• Grant Garner, Oklahoma State (6-foot-3, 292 pounds)
• Ben Jones, Florida (6-foot-3, 316 pounds)
• Peter Konz, Wisconsin (6-foot-5, 315 pounds)
• Molk, Michigan (6-foot-2, 286 pounds)
• William Vlachos, Alabama (6-foot-1, 294 pounds)

The winner of the 2011 Rimington Trophy will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show, which will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, Dec. 8.

Molk, who graduated from Lemont in 2007, is a fifth-year senior for the Wolverines and currently serves as a . This year marks the second consecutive season he has been named as a Rimington finalist, and the third time he has been named to the award's watch list.

The winner of the Rimington Trophy is selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from the All-America teams published by the American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp Foundation.  The winner will be recognized during a presentation at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, NE, on Jan. 14.

Last week, Molk was of the inaugural Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award.

This fall, he repeated as a first-team All-Big Ten honoree on the coaches' ballot, and earned second-team all-conference honors from the media. He made his 25th consecutive start Nov. 26 in Michigan's victory over Ohio State — giving him 41 starts in his four seasons at center.

Michigan will take on Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the 78th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, which will be played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.