These days it isn’t only the players who are added to award watch lists. Coaches are also subject to being added and that is the case for Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman. He was added to the Dodd Trophy Award watch list.
The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity– the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy. – per The Dodd Trophy Award press release
Coaches who are entering their first year as head coach with their perspective teams will not be eligible. Also only teams participating in fall season will be considered for the award this year.
“An unprecedented season calls for an unprecedented preseason watch list,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “When considering candidates for this year’s Dodd Trophy, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation made the decision to align with the College Football Playoff’s timeline and only consider coaches who will play during the fall season. That said, we still would like to recognize coaches from other conferences who met all of the criteria and under normal circumstances would be included on our list.”
The coaches named include one former Longhorns head coach
- Dabo Swinney (Clemson)
- Luke Fickell (Cincinnati)
- Nick Saban (Alabama)
- Josh Huepel (Central Florida)
- Gus Malzahn (Auburn)
- Dan Mullen (Florida)
- Bronco Mendenhall (BYU)
- Brian Kelly (Notre Dame)
- Kirby Smart (Georgia)
- Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma)
- Mack Brown (North Carolina)
- Ed Orgeron (LSU)
The Award winner will be announced the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Herman was not apart of the finalist last season but he does return to the original watch list in 2020. Mack Brown won the award in 2008 when he was with Texas.