TicketsCINCINNATI — Cincinnati football center Taran Tyo has been added to the Rimington Trophy Midseason watch list, announced by the Boomer Esiason Foundation on Thursday. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football.
Tyo, a fifth-year player from Greenville, Ohio, has anchored the Bearcats’ offensive line this season, his first season playing center kicking inside from starting at guard last season.
Through five games this season, Cincinnati ranks No. 12 nationally in rushing offense (230.8 YPG) and tied for No. 10 nationally with 17 rushing touchdowns. Among Power 4 programs, the Bearcats’ 17 rushing TDs trail only those of Louisville (21), West Virginia (21), LSU (20), Florida (19), UCLA (19), and Alabama (18). The Bearcats are averaging 5.95 yards per carry (1,154 total yards on 194 attempts), sharing the mark with Utah and tying for the second-highest average in the Big 12 behind only BYU (6.02 YPC).
Tyo and his teammates up front have paved the way for running backs Gi’Bran Payne and Cole Tabb to have early-season success, combining for four individual 100-yard rushing performances and rushing for over 250 total yards in three of the first five games. Since 1996, it is the first time the Bearcats have had three games with at least 250 yards rushing in the same month (September).
Tyo ranks No. 6 nationally in the FBS among centers with a 76.3 PFF Run Blocking Grade through five games and ranks No. 2 in the Big 12.
Payne leads the team in rushing with 392 yards, eclipsing the 100-yard mark in three of the first five games. Tabb ranks second in the Big 12 in yards per carry (9.7 avg.), trailing only Arizona’s Antwan Roberts (9.8 avg.), who has logged 11 fewer carries than Tabb. Tabb’s 6 rushing touchdowns rank tied for 4th in the conference.
In 2025, Tyo started all 13 games at right guard, ranking seventh in the Big 12 among guards in PFF grade. He was a part of a unit that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the nation, and named a Phil Steele All- Big 12 honoree.
Tyo previously garnered 2024 All-MAC accolades at Ball State before transferring to Cincinnati prior to 2025.
ABOUT THE RIMINGTON AWARD
The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. Since its inception, the award has raised over $5 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation.
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 John Outland Trophy’s only two-time winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman
ABOUT DAVE RIMINGTON
Dave Rimington has served with the Boomer Esiason Foundation since 1993 and has been President since 1995. Dave and Boomer played football together for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Before joining the Boomer Esiason Foundation as President, Dave lived and worked in Hong Kong in the Import-Export business. He also was a graduate assistant football coach at the University of Wisconsin, helping them win the Big 10 Championship and their first Rose Bowl Championship ever. In 1992 he received a master’s degree in international business. While at Wisconsin, Dave was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma National Honorary Business Fraternity.
Dave was a first-round draft choice for the Bengals in 1983 and was their starting center from 1983 to 1988. He was the NFL All Rookie Team Center in 1983, and he received the NFL Edward Block Courage Award in 1986. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1988 to 1990).
About the Boomer Esiason Foundation
In 1993, Boomer Esiason’s son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). Boomer and his wife Cheryl founded the Boomer Esiason Foundation to raise funds and awareness for the cystic fibrosis community. To date, the Foundation has raised over $180 million and works to provide educational and financial resources to help people living with CF in the here and now.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs, digestive system, and reproductive system of about 40,000 Americans by causing a thick build-up of mucus that leads to blockage, inflammation, and infection.
About Cincinnati Athletics
The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics with the vision to reach Next Level Success for all 18 varsity teams and more than 400 student-athletes. The Bearcats have a proud athletics history, winning eight national championships and 118 conference titles, and entered a new era as a member of the Big 12 in 2023. UC Athletics' mission is to connect our community, enhance our university and impact the lives of student-athletes as they prepare to change the world on and off the field.