Tag: broyles award

WATCH: Steve Sarkisian receives Broyles Award for being nation’s top assistant

On Wednesday, Texas HC Steve Sarkisian accepted the Broyles Award for his great work in Tuscaloosa. You can watch the video below:

What Steve Sarkisian did with Alabama’s offense last season was incredible. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith (winner), quarterback Mac Jones, and running back Najee Harris all finished in the top five of Heisman voting.

To add on, the Crimson Tide’s offensive line won the Joe Moore Award. Everything went right on offense with Sarkisian running the show.

After averaging 48.5 points per game and winning the national championship, Sarkisian won the Broyles Award for being the top assistant coach in the country. Here were the four other finalists:

  • Jeff Grimes, Offensive Coordinator, BYU
  • Marcus Freeman, Defensive Coordinator / LB, Cincinnati
  • Kane Wommack, Defensive Coordinator / LB, Indiana
  • Mike Hankwitz, Defensive Coordinator, Northwestern

On Wednesday, Sarkisian accepted the award for his great work in Tuscaloosa. You can watch the video below:

Sarkisian will now attempt to replicate his offense in Austin. Another layer of responsibility will be added on as a head coach, but his roots of being an offensive play-caller will remain.

Other assistant coaches such as QB coach A.J. Milwee and offensive line coach Kyle Flood have been brought over from Alabama as well to help. Flood may have been the biggest hire Sarkisian made, while Milwee has been his right-hand man for the past two seasons.

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Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian named nations top CFB assistant coach

Alabama football offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has been named the recipient for the 2020 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assist…

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is the 2020 recipient for the Broyles award, which recogizes the nation’s top college football assistant coach.

Sarkisian has been in the spotlight for a better part of this season.

He’s led one of the strongest offenses in all of college football, was the head coach of the Crimson Tide for the Iron Bowl, connected to the Auburn football head coaching vacancy and given a raise by Alabama.

“It’s an honor anytime you get mentioned with coach Broyles and the rich tradition and history of this award,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian has been around college football and even had a short venture in the NFL, but his strength as Alabama’s offensive coordinator has been unmatched.

Florida OC Johnson named a semifinalist for Broyles Award

Florida Gators football offensive coordinator Brian Johnson is a semifinalist for Broyles Award given to the top OC in the nation.

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Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson is a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant coach in college football. The list of 15 semifinalists was announced by the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation on Tuesday.

Johnson, who served as UF’s quarterback coach in 2018 and 2019 before that role was expanded to make him the offensive coordinator this past offseason, has orchestrated one of the most potent attacks in the nation.

Florida has the country’s best passing game, averaging 386.4 yards per game, and it ranks eighth in total offense despite its struggling run game.

The Gators have totaled more than 400 yards for eight games in a row for the first time since at least 1981 this season.

Here’s the full list of semifinalists for the Broyles Award.

2020 Broyles Award Semifinalists
FLORIDA, Brian Johnson, Offensive Coordinator / QB
ALABAMA, Steve Sarkisian, Offensive Coordinator / QB
BYU, Jeff Grimes, Offensive Coordinator
CINCINNATI, Marcus Freeman, Defensive Coordinator / LB
COASTAL CAROLINA, Chad Staggs, Defensive Coordinator / LB
INDIANA, Kane Wommack, Defensive Coordinator / LB
IOWA, Phil Parker, Defensive Coordinator / Secondaries
IOWA STATE, Tom Manning, Offensive Coordinator / TE
MIAMI, Rhett Lashlee, Offensive Coordinator / QB
NORTH CAROLINA, Phil Longo, Offensive Coordinator / QB / TE
NORTHWESTERN, Mike Hankwitz, Defensive Coordinator
NOTRE DAME, Clark Lea, Defensive Coordinator / LB
OHIO STATE, Brian Hartline, Wide Receivers
OLE MISS, Jeff Lebby, Offensive Coordinator / QB
TEXAS A&M, Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator / S

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Oklahoma DL Coach Calvin Thibodeaux nominated for Broyles Award for top assistant

Oklahoma defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux has been nominated for the Broyles Award that is given to the nation’s top assistant coach.

Oklahoma defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux has been named as a nominee for the 2020 Broyles Award that is presented to the college football’s top assistant coach.

Thibodeaux is one of 56 coaches nominated out of an eligible 1,270 assistants around the country.

The Sooners defensive line has been a huge part of the defense’s turnaround this season has been without question the strength of the team, spear-headed by Ronnie Perkins, Isaiah Thomas and Perrion Winfrey.

A 43-member selection committee made up of former coaches, broadcasters and members of the Football Writers Association of America will narrow the group down to 15 semifinalists and then five finalists before settling on a winner.

Last year’s winner was LSU‘s Joe Brady, who after his sensational season that resulted in a national title took his talents to the NFL to become the new offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.

Thibodeaux will continue to make his case to be the next winner when Oklahoma heads to Morgantown this weekend to take on West Virginia.

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Former Notre Dame DC Reportedly Headed to Purdue

Diaco left Notre Dame to become the head coach at Connecticut in 2014, a job he spent three seasons at going 11-26 in that time.  His trip to the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl (16-10 L vs Marshall) remains the last bowl game Connecticut played in.

I didn’t look at life a week ago and think I was going to be writing about former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco on two separate occasions but here we are.

Diaco and has Louisiana Tech squad shutout Miami (FL) 14-0 on December 26 in the Independence Bowl and four days later he’s headed to coordinate the defense of a historical Notre Dame rival.

Diaco was on Brian Kelly’s coaching staff at Notre Dame from 2010-2013 where he oversaw a defense that was responsible for the Fighting Irish going 12-0 in the 2012 regular season.

Diaco left Notre Dame to become the head coach at Connecticut in 2014, a job he spent three seasons at going 11-26 in that time.  His trip to the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl (16-10 L vs Marshall) remains the last bowl game Connecticut played in.

The Huskies went just 3-9 the following season however and Diaco was fired from the job.

He’s since spent time at Nebraska (2017, Defensive Coordinator), Oklahoma (2018, Linebackers) and Louisiana Tech (2019, Defensive Coordinator).

Diaco won the Broyles Award at Notre Dame in 2012 as the nation’s top assistant coach when the Irish allowed one or fewer touchdowns in eight of their 12 regular season games.

I don’t know how it will ultimately go for Diaco at Purdue.  He’s spent a season in the Big Ten before as Nebraska’s D-C and had a rough go as his Cornhuskers allowed 30 or more points eight times that season.

What I do know is that life just got more interesting for those that cover Purdue football:

“Like Pavlov’s dogs – I walk through the gate and I salivate!”

I’m just mad I didn’t use that for my senior quote.

Former Saints coach Joe Brady wins 2019 Broyles Award with LSU Tigers

LSU Tigers coordinator Joe Brady, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, won the 2019 Broyles Award for the nation’s best assistant coach.

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Big news broke Tuesday for a former New Orleans Saints coach, when LSU Tigers passing game coordinator Joe Brady was named the winner of the 2019 Broyles Award. Brady left Saints coach Sean Payton’s staff earlier this year to take a position under Tigers coach Ed Orgeron, and immediately made an impact in modernizing and diversifying LSU’s playbook on offense. With Brady’s influence, the Tigers jumped from an average of 402.1 yards per game (and 32.4 points per outing) in 2018 to eye-popping marks of 554.5 yards and 47.8 points per game in 2019.

The Broyles Award is handed out to the best assistant coach in the nation, who is chosen from a list of nominees submitted by college football teams. Brady is the first Tigers assistant to win this recognition since then-defensive coordinator John Chavis did so back in 2011. Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen was twice nominated for the Broyles Award during his tenure with the North Carolina State Wolfpack, where he coached before New Orleans poached him.

Brady’s influence on the Tigers offense has been palpable, having introduced many concepts that are staples of the Saints’ playbook developed by Sean Payton while bringing in his on philosophies, tendencies, and play designs. He’s been instrumental in the Heisman Trophy campaign for Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow, as well as the team’s national title aspirations.

His next game will come against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 28, with the winner advancing to the national championship game against the winner of the Fiesta Bowl matchup between the Clemson Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes. That title game will be played inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the home of the Saints, creating an opportunity for the many fans with shared loyalty for the Saints and Tigers to take over a familiar venue.

Brady may be the fast-rising star in the college football ranks, and it’s a testament to the staff Payton has built in New Orleans that success stories like Brady have sprung from his coaching tree. He’s expected to be a popular name as new coaching staffs and hirings start filing in during the offseason, but for now, he’s laser-focused on winning it all for LSU.

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Georgia fotoball’s Dan Lanning among Broyles Award finalists

UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the top assistant coach in the country

Georgia’s defense has been spectacular this season. The Dawgs have only given up one rushing touchdown on the season. A big part of that is because UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning has been an elite coordinator. Lanning has put the Dawgs in position to have three shutouts on the season. He’s among the finalists for the Broyles Award, which is give to the best assistant coach in the nation.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart won the award with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2009. Brian VanGorder, the current defensive coordinator for Bowling Green, won the award at UGA in 2003. Georgia legend Vince Dooley is on the award’s selection committee. Here’s the NCAA’s Broyles Award finalists:

LSU’s Joe Brady is the favorite to win the award. Brady transformed LSU’s offense into a monster seemingly overnight. If Lanning’s defense can shut down Joe Burrow and LSU’s offense, then Lanning may have a legitimate chance to win the award.

Each coordinator that’s a finalist will play in a conference championship game this weekend. The award is far from decided. In fact, a standout performance could propel any of these excellent assistant coaches to win the Broyles Award and possibly make the College Football Playoff. Each will be potential head coach candidates for places like Missouri and Arkansas.

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Alex Grinch named Broyles Award semifinalist

Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award…

Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has been named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, an award given to the top assistant coach and or coordinator in college football.

After being named a prospect for the award on Nov. 14, Grinch has now been named as a semifinalist, one of the 15 remaining assistant coaches that could earn the award. 

Grinch has made progress this year in improving on one of the worst statistical defenses in OKlahoma history last year. 

Last year, under Mike Stoops, the defense was ranked No. 101 overall, and was the worst unit in the College Football Playoffs. This year, Grinch has them up to 31st overall in less than a year in his system.

Following Oklahoma’s back-to-back wins over Baylor and TCU, in which the Sooners forced game-winning turnovers in both, their defense is now the top-ranked defense in the Big 12 conference, giving up an average of 336 yards per game.

Lincoln Riley won the Broyles award in 2015 as the Sooners offensive coordinator.

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Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Dan Lanning nominated for prestigious awards

Georgia’s Jake Fromm and Dan Lanning are among nominees for prestigious awards: the Jason Witten Award and the Broyles Award respectively.

Georgia Bulldog QB Jake Fromm is among the players nominated for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. UCF’s Shaquem Griffin won the inaugural award. Fromm has been an excellent leader this season for the forth-ranked Bulldogs.

Even with his leadership, Georgia is more than Jake Fromm. Georgia’s defense has been spectacular this season. A big part of that is because UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning has been on top of his game. Lanning has put the Dawgs in position to have three shutouts on the season. He’s nominated for the Broyles Award, which is give to the best assistant coach in the nation.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart won the award with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2009. Brian VanGorder, the current defensive coordinator for Bowling Green, won the award at UGA in 2003. Georgia legend Vince Dooley is on the award’s selection committee. Here’s the SEC’s Broyles Award Nominees:

LSU’s Joe Brady is the most likely candidate from the SEC to win the award. But if Lanning’s defense continues it’s elite play and shuts down LSU’s offense, then he’d have quite a case.

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