Tag: broyles award

Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams nominated for Broyles Award

Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams has been nominated for a prestigious award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach each year.

The 2023 season has been filled with a lot of losing and disappointment for this [autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] team. However, there has been one bright spot for throughout most of this year – the defense.

In his first year as Razorbacks defensive coordinator, [autotag]Travis Williams[/autotag] took the worst passing defense in the country and completely transformed it into a very formidable unit. Arkansas currently ranks 49th in the country in total defense (357.5 YPG) and 38th in passing defense (205.6 YPG). In fact, Williams’ defense has played well enough for the Hogs to win all but two games this season.

For those efforts, Williams was one of 57 assistant coaches nominated for the 2023 Broyles Award. The Broyles Award, named after longtime Arkansas football coach and athletic director [autotag]Frank Broyles[/autotag], is given to the nation’s best assistant coach each year.

The semifinalists and finalists will be announced at later dates, and the ceremony to announce the winner will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock.

Alex Golesh a finalist for Broyles Award

Tennessee assistant coach Alex Golesh is a finalist for the Broyles Award.

Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) concluded its regular-season Nov. 26, defeating Vanderbilt 56-0.

Following the Vols’ regular-season finale, Tennessee offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Alex Golesh was named a finalist for the Broyles Award.

The Broyles Award is presented annually to the top assistant coach in the country by a selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, broadcasters and members representing the Football Writers Association of America.

Golesh is the second Tennessee assistant coach to be named a finalist for the Broyles Award. Former Tennessee offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach David Cutcliffe was a finalist in 1997 before winning the award in 1998.

The winner of the Broyles Award will be announced Dec. 6 between Golesh, Georgia offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Todd Monken, Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and TCU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley.

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Iowa’s Phil Parker named Broyles Award semifinalist

Iowa’s Phil Parker is getting some well-deserved national love as a top assistant. Parker was named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award.

Coming on the heels of a sensational 2021 season, the Hawkeyes’ defense is even better in 2022. As such, national flowers are in store for Iowa defensive coordinator and secondary coach Phil Parker.

Parker was named as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, which honors the top assistant coach in college football.

It makes perfect sense why he’s one of the top names up for the award. Iowa allows just 4.01 yards per play, which is tops nationally. The Hawkeyes also rank in the top 10 nationally in several other prominent defensive categories. The Hawkeyes have four defensive touchdowns on the season, which ranks tied third nationally. That number should be five after Jack Campbell was robbed last week, but that’s beside the point.

Iowa ranks No. 5 in scoring defense, surrendering just 13.5 points per game. The Hawkeyes also rank No. 6 nationally in both passing defense (164.4 yards per game) and total defense (273.3 yards per game).

Iowa also ranks 17th nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 108.9 yards per game. The Hawkeyes have forced 20 turnovers, which ranks 23rd nationally. Of those 20 turnovers, Iowa’s 13 interceptions currently ranks 15th.

Iowa has held eight opponents to 10 points or less, the best for an Iowa defense since 1929. Five opponents have gained less than 200 yards total offense and seven have gained less than 100 rushing yards. Ten of 11 opponents have not reached their season scoring average and all 11 have failed to reach their total offense season average.

The Hawkeyes have surrendered just 14 defensive touchdowns all season (four rushing scores and 10 passing touchdowns). There’s star power littered across Parker’s defense, evidenced most recently by linebacker Jack Campbell earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Parker joins the following assistants as one of the 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award: Florida State offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins; Penn State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Manny Diaz; Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham; Tennessee offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Alex Golesh; Washington offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Grubb; LSU defensive coordinator Matt House; Ohio State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jim Knowles; South Carolina assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo; North Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo; Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter; Georgia offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Todd Monken; USC defensive line coach Shaun Nua; TCU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley; and Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.

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Manny Diaz nominated for Broyles Award

Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was nominated for this year’s Broyles Award.

Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] is officially in the running for the nation’s top assistant coaching award, the Broyles Award. The Broyles Award released its list of 52 nominees for this year’s award, with Diaz one of seven Big Ten assistants up for the award. Every Big Ten assistant up for the Broyles Award is a defensive coordinator.

Diaz has had a solid season in his first year at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are among the best in the nation in recording tackles for a loss and Penn State is coming off a shutout of Maryland that limited Taulia Tagovailoa to fewer than 80 passing yards.

Diaz joined the Penn State coaching staff shortly after he was removed as head coach at Miami. Diaz filled the vacancy created when longtime [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] assistant [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag] left his position as defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Virginia Tech.

Penn State has never had a Broyles Award winner, so Diaz is looking to become the first to claim the award. The Broyles Award has a stellar history of seeing its winners go on to become head coaches as well, which is something many expect could be a possibility rather quickly for Diaz. Some notable previous winner of the Broyles Award inlcude Lincoln Riley, Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, and, Pat Narduzzi.

Last year’s Broyles Award winner was Michigan offensive coordinator [autotag]Josh Gattis[/autotag], a former assistant under Franklin.

The Broyles Award will cut its list of 51 nominees down for a semifinalist cut on Nov. 22, and finalists will be announced a week later on Nov. 29. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

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Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham nominated for Broyles Award, given to nation’s top assistant coach

Oregon Duck offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham has been nominated for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant.

It’s been a pretty good season for the Oregon Ducks offense and committees for certain national awards have taken notice.

Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham has been nominated for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.

In his first season in Eugene, Dillingham has led Oregon to become one of the top offenses in the country. The Ducks are averaging 42 points a game and nearly 530 yards of offense per contest.

It helps to have a senior transfer quarterback in Bo Nix, who is familiar with the playbook, but Dillingham has improved every aspect of the Duck offense from a year ago. He has helped the receivers become everything Duck fans hoped they would be when they were recruited.

Troy Franklin has been the biggest beneficiary of Dillingham’s scheme. He was recently named to the official Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best receiver.

Last year’s winner was former Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who is now with Mario Cristobal in Miami.

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Michigan football assistant named to Broyles Award nominee list

If the next two weeks go well, the award is as good as his. #GoBlue

A year ago, Michigan football produced the top-named assistant in all of college football as former offensive coordinator Josh Gattis won the coveted Broyles Award. The Broyles Award is given to the nation’s top assistant coach, and while there certainly could have been a case made for former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, as well, Gattis earned the prize of the top coach in the country.

Could another Michigan football assistant take home the prize for a second-straight year?

The thought when Macdonald departed for the Baltimore Ravens was that the Wolverine defense would take a massive step back. However, the maize and blue are excelling on all fronts in that unit, currently rated the No. 1 total defense, the No. 1 scoring defense, the No. 4 pass defense, and No. 1 run defense in the country through Week 11. The Wolverines also lead with the fewest amount of first downs allowed thus far this season. All of this is a credit to Jesse Minter, who oversaw Vanderbilt’s defense last year after going to the Commodores via the Baltimore Ravens.

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And Minter has found himself a nominee for the Broyles Award in 2022.

Should the Wolverines manage to hold Illinois running back Chase Brown and then the Ohio State offense at bay, there’s a good chance that Minter would earn the award this year. But those are both big ifs.

Fellow former Michigan assistant, Shaun Nua, is a nominee in his first year coaching at USC.

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Alex Grinch and one other coordinator are the favorites for the 2022 Broyles Award

Alex Grinch, 6 games into the 2022 season, is one of two leaders in the race for the Broyles Award, given to the best assistant coach in college football. #USC

The Broyles Award is one of the better and more prestigious awards in college football. Nothing matches the hype and attention visited upon the Heisman Trophy, but among all non-Heisman awards, the Broyles is significant for one obvious reason college football fans can readily appreciate: The winner of the award is almost always part of a very successful team.

The Broyles Award, named after legendary former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles, is given to the best assistant coach in college football. This is almost always a coordinator, given the prominence and centrality of coordinators in modern football.

One guy who won the Broyles Award several years ago? Lincoln Riley, who won in 2015 as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops. Riley helped Stoops make the College Football Playoff.

This year, a Riley assistant is in the running for the Broyles Award. We discuss why Alex Grinch is a leading contender, and maybe the favorite, for the award. Find out the identity of the other man who stands most centrally in Grinch’s path, too:

Michigan State football OC Jay Johnson nominated for Broyles Award

Michigan State football OC Jay Johnson nominated for Broyles Award

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The Broyles Award is given each year to the top assistant in college football. Due to the Spartans surprisingly explosive offense this season, Michigan State football offensive coordinator Jay Johnson has been nominated for the honor.

Last year’s winner was Steve Sarkisian, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Alabama at the time he won.

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Wisconsin DC Jim Leonhard nominated for a prestigious award

Jim Leonhard is receiving national recognition

After leading Wisconsin’s defense to one of the best seasons in school history, Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is earning national recognition.

Leonhard was named as a candidate for The Broyles Award, an annual award given to the best assistant coach in college football. UWBadgers.com writer Mike Lucas backed up the nomination with impressive stats to sum up Leonhard’s career in Madison. The Badgers are number one in the nation in terms of total defense since Leonhard arrived in Madison.

They rank near the top in a number of other defensive categories:

Leonhard would be the first Wisconsin assistant to ever take home the award.

Alex Mirabal nominated for Broyles Award as top assistant coach

Offensive line coach Alex Mirabal was nominated for the Broyles Award as college football’s top assistant.

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Scotty on Star Trek was called a miracle worker because he was always able to fix the Enterprise just in time.

Oregon football has its own Scotty in offensive line coach Alex Mirabal. Injuries have plagued the Ducks offensive line throughout this season, but that group has been able to plug right along thanks to Mirabal’s ability to mix and match players along that line.

Mirabal’s efforts are being recognized as he was nominated for the Broyles Award, an honor given to college football’s top assistant. He’s one of 59 assistants from around the country to be honored as the possible winner of the award.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian won the award last season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. This year’s winner will be announced Dec. 6.

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