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The Rimington Award, named for the former Nebraska all-America center and only two-time winner of the Outland Trophy as the nation's best offensive lineman, is given annually to college football's premier center. The Award winner will be determined by the consensus of four all-America teams ­ Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, The Walter Camp Football Foundation and The Sporting News.

This is the second-straight year that Jones has been nominated to the initial watch list. Miami's Brett Romberg won the award last winter.

Jones has played in 24 games during his Mississippi State career and, despite battling injury throughout his first three seasons, has a string of 18 straight starts at the center position heading into his senior campaign.

The injury bug continued to nip at Jones as the Bulldogs entered their third week of spring drills Monday. He joined a growing list of players nursing aggravating ailments, following an ankle sprain in Saturday's initial spring scrimmage.

Sophomore fullback Jeff Billings (Pasadena, Texas), like Jones, has been hampered by an ankle sprain. Junior split end Ray Ray Bivines (Gautier, Miss.) has been sidelined with a torn ligament in his thumb, while place-kicker Brent Smith (Byhalia, Miss.) and redshirt freshman wide receiver Ken Topps (Shannon, Miss.) have been limited with hamstring pulls. Offensive tackles James Redmond (Decatur, Ga.) and David Stewart (Moulton, Ala.) have been sidelined with a knee injury and thigh contusion, respectively. Only Redmond, who has a medial collateral ligament sprain, is not expected back this spring.