Photo courtesy of UAB Athletics.
Adam Lepkowski entering the field.
Hoover High School graduate Adam Lepkowski has landed on two prestigious national watch lists ahead of his final season as UAB's starting center: the Wuerffel Trophy and the Rimington Trophy.
Lepkowski walked on at UAB in 2021 after his high school career at Hoover, where he started at left tackle for the Bucs. He earned a scholarship before the 2023 season and started six games at guard that year, helping UAB set a single-season school record with 450 yards per game. A training-camp injury cost him the entire 2024 season, but he returned last fall to start all 12 games at center, earning recognition as PFSN College's highest-graded center in the American Conference.
Lepkowski was named to the 2026 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, an honor recognizing college football players who combine on-field achievement with community service and leadership. Established in 2005 and named for 1996 Heisman Trophy winner and humanitarian Danny Wuerffel, it was the first major college football honor created specifically to recognize character and service. Past honorees include Tim Tebow, Sam Acho, Barrett Jones, Matt Barkley and Ladd McConkey. LSU's Rudy Niswanger was the inaugural winner in 2005, and Texas' Michael Taaffe received the honor in 2025.
He also earned a spot on the 2026 Rimington Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's top center. Lepkowski is one of 40 players selected nationally and one of four American Conference representatives, joining Army's Brady Small, Navy's Cam Nichols and FAU's Vincent Fiacable. This year's watch list was compiled using a combination of school nominations and Pro Football Focus grading data, with additional players eligible for later addition based on in-season performance.
The Rimington Trophy is named for former Nebraska center Dave Rimington and has raised more than $5 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation since its inception. The winner is ultimately determined using All-America selections from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America and Sporting News.
Lepkowski told The Birmingham Banner he was emotional when he learned of the Rimington nod.
"That's pretty cool," Lepkowski said. "I don't know, I mean, yeah, it's just like a good feeling. I saw [former teammate Brady Wilson] get on that list. I was like, 'Man, maybe one day I'll be good enough to even be on that.' It's pretty awesome."
A graduate student, Lepkowski enters his sixth season in the program and is one of the top returning offensive linemen in the American Conference, having already been named First Team All-Conference by Athlon Sports and Second Team All-Conference by Phil Steele.
"I saw it from the beginning, of just how much he wanted to be the best player he could be," UAB offensive line coach Matt McCants told The Birmingham Banner.
Both watch lists are part of the National College Football Awards Association, which oversees 24 major college football honors.
UAB begins the season Sept. 3 at Illinois. The Blazers play their first home game the following week, against ULM on Sept. 12.
