As the Oregon Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning begin to prepare for the upcoming college football season, the program will have its eyes set on another National Championship run in 2026.

Luckily for the Ducks, the newest Big 10 Conference member will retain multiple veterans from last season that should help the team, including quarterback Dante Moore and defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington. However, there is one name that could have a huge impact on the team in 2026 after showing plenty of improvement last year.

In one of his latest articles, CBS Sports’ Austin Nivison gave his predictions for every college football award this season, with Oregon center Iapani Laloulu walking away with the Rimington Award, which is given to the best center in the country.

“Dating back to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2023 season, Laloulu has started 30 consecutive games at center for the Ducks,” Nivison wrote. “Last season, he earned first-team All-American and second-team All-Big Ten honors. Laloulu was even a finalist for the Rimington Award, which went to Iowa's Logan Jones. This year, Laloulu will get the nod as he anchors an Oregon offensive line that should drive its team's championship pursuit.”

Throughout his two seasons as the Ducks’ starting center, Laloulu has proven to be one of the best offensive linemen in the country. In his first year as the team’s starter back in 2024, the former four-star prospect allowed a total of 10 quarterback pressures and zero sacks, while also posting a career-high 71.1 PFF run blocking grade over 1,000 snaps.

With a year of work under his belt leading up to the 2025 college football season, Laloulu continued his dominant stretch as a pass blocker last year, finishing with a PFF pass blocking grade of 82.3 while allowing 11 quarterback pressures and one sack. And while the veteran offensive lineman could have entered his name into the 2026 NFL Draft class, Laloulu ultimately decided to return to Eugene for his final college season with Oregon.

For Lanning and the Ducks, the Rimington Award has been a familiar part of the prior teams, as former star center Jackson Powers-Johnson won the award back in 2023. The stout offensive lineman would eventually become a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, which is a promising sign for Laloulu heading into his final season with the program.

Ducks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Oregon Ducks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.