After being named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy in 2025, it should come as no surprise that Oregon Ducks center Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu has been named to the 2026 Rimington Trophy watchlist ahead of the 2026 campaign. The Rimington Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding center in college football.
Laloulu was also on the watchlist heading into last season and more than lived up to expectations, falling just short of taking home the award.
The Hawaii native has been a contributor for the Ducks ever since arriving in Eugene prior to the 2023 season, appearing in all 14 games and being named a 247Sports True Freshman All-American. He took over the starting job at center in 2024 and hasn't looked back since, becoming the fourth Duck to be named a finalist
for the Rimington Trophy.
Never a doubt here.
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) August 6, 2026
A finalist last season, Poncho Laloulu is back on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy. #GoDucks x @rimingtontrophy pic.twitter.com/rMKP1tXtzL
Previous winners of the award include Iowa's Logan Jones (2025), Ohio State's Seth McLaughlin (2024) and Oregon's very own Jackson Powers-Johnson (2023). Laloulu has taken the reigns from Powers-Johnson, proving to be a vital leader of the Oregon offense in his two seasons as a starter.
Heading into 2026, Laloulu will be tasked with bringing together an offensive line that is still unsettled heading into fall camp, with head coach Dan Lanning revealing that there may be some sort of rotation early in the year to see which group fits best. As a three-year starter and long having been considered a leader on the team, much of the leadership burden will fall of Laloulu.
If the Oregon offensive line exceeds expectations, with Laloulu once again having a strong year, he very well could become the second Duck to win the Rimington Trophy, following in Powers-Johnson's shoes.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon C Iapani Laloulu on Rimington Trophy watchlist for 2nd year
