Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Steve Sarkisian is one of 12 finalists for the award.
Steve Sarkisian is being recognized as one of the top head coaches in all of college football. Continue reading “Texas’ Steve Sarkisian a finalist for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award”
Doug Pederson for Coach of the Year? Trevor Lawrence thinks so.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were owners of the No. 1 pick in back-to-back NFL drafts before Doug Pederson was hired, but in his first year as head coach, the team is a win away from a division title.
That turnaround should be enough to earn Pederson consideration for the NFL Coach of the Year Award, if you ask quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“I think Coach [Pederson] 100 percent should be in the conversation and could win the award,” Lawrence said Wednesday. “You look at what he’s done here, just the energy, not only the Xs and Os and football stuff, but just the energy, the culture that we’ve created here that, obviously, he’s had a huge part in bringing here.
“It’s tough to do, especially in the first year and a bunch of new people. I just can’t say enough about the job he’s done and how much I love playing for him and appreciate him, so 100 percent, I think he should be in that conversation.”
According to the oddsmakers at BetMGM, Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is still the favorite for the award. In his second season, Sirianni has led the Eagles to an NFL-best 13-3 record. Not far behind Sirianni are Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers and Brian Daboll of the New York Giants with Pederson in a distant fourth.
While Pederson’s chances at winning Coach of the Year are likely slim, there’s no denying his impact in Jacksonville. On Saturday, the Jaguars have a chance to earn their second ever AFC South title and finish with a winning record for only the second time in the last 15 years.
Bruce Pearl among an impressive group vying for the coach of the year award.
It has been quite the turnaround from last season for the Auburn Tigers. Under the guidance of head coach Bruce Pearl, the team went from 13-14 overall and 7-11 in SEC play to one of the top teams in the country.
This year Auburn is looked at as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 24-3 and 12-2 in SEC action. The additions of Jabari Smith in recruiting as well as transfers Walker Kessler, KD Johnson, Zep Jasper, and Wendell Green Jr have allowed the turnaround to happen at a faster rate.
Pearl is getting a lot of recognition for his efforts. Viewed as the man to beat for the SEC Coach of the Year award, he is also in contention for national coach of the year honors. The Naismith Trophy recently released their watchlist of 15 coaches in college basketball.
Pearl won the SEC honors twice during his tenure at Tennessee and was also named Sporting News coach of the year. He has yet to get the distinction of being awarded the Naismith Trophy. This could be the year.
The candidate list for the NaismiethTrophy watch list.
With a division title now under his belt, Ron Rivera deserves some recognition for all of the obstacles he had to coach through this year.
Before Sunday night’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles even took place, Washington coach Ron Rivera already had enough on his 2020 resume to deserve loads of credit, and a mound of confidence from the fanbase going forward. Picking up 6 wins while fighting cancer, dealing with a QB bust, and cleaning up the mess left by the ownership group is no small feat, and he managed to create the basis for a rock-solid culture while he was at it.
But now you throw a playoff berth into the mix? That’s above and beyond expectations. Washington may not be the best playoff team in the mix, but Rivera has certainly gotten the most out of this group of players, and he deserves to be considered for the Coach of the Year award because of it.
Andy Reid, Matt LaFleur, Sean McDermott, Brian Flores all will get deserved votes for Coach of the Year. But given everything @RiverboatRonHC has had to deal w/ this year – on and off the field incl having to play 4 different QB’s- Rivera should absolutely be in the conversation.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) January 4, 2021
We’ll see how far Washington ends up going in the playoffs, with a tough opening matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but everything from this point on is just icing on the cake. Rivera did what few other coaches could have done in Washington this season, and he deserves to be recognized for it.
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Texas head coach Tom Herman is mentioned on the watch list for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award.
Whomever is awarded Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2020 season will have certainly deserved the honor. Continue reading “Texas head coach Tom Herman named Paul “Bear” Bryant Award nominee”
