The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms with fifth-round center Matt Tennant, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Tennant began his career at Boston College at guard, seeing spot duty as a freshman before converting to the center in 2007. A three-year starter, Tennant earned honorable mention All-ACC honors in 2008, and was first-team All-ACC and a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the top center in college football, after last season.

The 6-5, 300-pound Tennant is smart, strong (27 reps on the bench press), and tough, having undergone two “Tommy John” surgeries—one on each elbow—during his high school and college career, neither of which kept him from missing a game. That’s partly why the Saints traded a 2011 fourth-round pick to back into the fifth-round to draft Tennant, despite having 2009 Pro Bowl center Jonathan Goodwin entrenched as the starter.

Goodwin’s contract expires after the 2010 season, and Tennant could be the Saints’ center of the future.