The Bobby Dodd Trophy committee has named the five finalists for the coach of the year award. The Dodd Trophy does not allow first-year coaches to win the award, so TCU’s Sonny Dykes is not in the running for the award despite taking the Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoffs.
Michigan‘s Jim Harbaugh, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Tulane’s Will Fritz, Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, and Georgia’s Kirby Smart are the five finalists for the award.
Jim Harbaugh helped Michigan make the playoffs for a second consecutive year. Kyle Whittingham and Utah won the Pac-12. Tulane won the American Athletic Conference and is 12-1 under Will Fritz. Kansas State and Chris Klieman won the Big 12. Lastly, Georgia’s Kirby Smart is 13-0 and won an SEC championship.
The Dodd Trophy winner will be announced at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. The award factors in community service and academics as well as on-field performance.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has already been named as the SEC’s coach of the year.
Why does Smart have a chance to win the Dodd coach of the year award after winning a national championship? Because Georgia lost 15 players to the 2022 NFL draft and numerous other players to the transfer portal.
Despite the roster turnover, the standard remained the same for the Bulldogs. Georgia finished a second consecutive regular season undefeated and won the SEC championship against LSU. These accomplishments are why Smart is in the running to win the Dodd Trophy despite having a stacked roster.
Georgia earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and will look to repeat as national champions.
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