Tag: Dodd Trophy

Marcus Freeman named to Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List

Congrats, Marcus!

Even though he’s only in his second full season as Notre Dame coach, expectations remain high for [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag]. In fact, the high expectations for the 2023 Irish put him on everyone’s radar. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s one of 21 coaches to be named to the Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List. No coaching award is bigger in college football.

During the season, there will be a midseason watch list differing from the preseason list to some degree. There will be a final list at the end of the regular season before the winner is announced at the Peach Bowl as it always is. Brian Kelly is the lone Irish coach to earn this hardware, doing so in 2018.

The following coaches who also are on the watch list will face the Irish in 2023: Dabo Swinney of Clemson, Ryan Day of Ohio State, Dave Clawson of Wake Forest and Dave Doeren of NC State.

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Josh Heupel named Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week

Josh Heupel named Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week following Alabama win.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has been named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.

Tennessee (6-0, 3-0 SEC) defeated Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC), 52-49, at Neyland Stadium in Week 7.

The Dodd Trophy press release:

Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today announced that Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week presented by PNC.

The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

Now coaching his second season in Knoxville, Josh Heupel led the Volunteers to a 52-49 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday for the program’s first win over the Crimson Tide since 2006. With 15 seconds remaining, Tennessee drove the ball 45 yards in three plays, setting up a Chase McGrath game winning 40-yard field goal. Tennessee was led offensively by wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, who finished with five receiving touchdowns, setting a new program record.

The Volunteers scored their most points ever in the 105-game series, improving to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC. Tennessee has now defeated four ranked teams for the first time in a regular season since 1998 when the Volunteers went on to win the BCS National Championship. The Volunteers moved up to No. 3 in the most recent AP poll after the win.

“This was a statement win for Coach Heupel and the Tennessee football program,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “This is the type of challenge that Coach Dodd would have relished, rallying his team for a crucial win over a top-10 conference rival.”

Heupel was named the 27th head football coach of the Volunteers in January 2021. After inheriting a team that went 3-7, Heupel led the Volunteers to a 7-6 record in his first season at the helm. Before his time in Knoxville, he served as head coach at UCF for three seasons from 2018-2020, compiling a 28-8 record and winning an American Athletic Conference title in 2018. Heupel also spent time at Oklahoma (2004, 2006-14), Arizona (2005), Utah State (2015) and Missouri (2016-17) in various assistant coaching roles.

In the classroom, Tennessee has earned an impressive 84 Graduation Success Rate among its student-athletes, along with a 944 Academic Progress Rate.

In the community, Heupel and Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello recently teamed up on campus in April to support the Wounded Warriors Project. Heupel and his student-athletes also took a trip to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital later that month, in efforts to support and give back to the local community.

“Having someone like Coach Heupel leading your program has already paid dividends for Tennessee,” said Gary Stokan, CEO and President of Peach Bowl, Inc. “He has prepared his student-athletes for adversity both on the field and in the classroom, turning them into better men and football players.”

The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC– along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2022 season. The winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

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Kirk Ferentz named to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz is one of 20 coaches named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious Dodd Trophy.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz is getting some recognition ahead of the season.

Ferentz was one of 20 coaches listed on the Dodd Trophy watch list. The Dodd Trophy is the premier award for coaching, awarded to the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership, and integrity.

Those are the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy. The selection process considers team success, each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2022 season, and Academic Progress Rate (APR). The recipient of the award is named during halftime of the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl.

Entering his 24th year, the longest tenure of any college football coach, Ferentz has won the award once in 2015. Last year’s winner was Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell. Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald also won the award the year prior.

Only two coaches have ever won the award twice, Bill Snyder of Kansas State (1998 and 2002) and Penn State‘s Joe Paterno (1981 and 2005). Ferentz is looking to become the third.

The 19 coaches joining Ferentz on the preseason list is a real who’s who of college football’s elite. Fellow Big Ten coaches Paul Chryst (Wisconsin), Ryan Day (Ohio State), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), and Mel Tucker (Michigan State) join Ferentz on the list.

Alabama‘s Nick Saban, Georgia‘s Kirby Smart, and Baylor’s Dave Aranda also appear on the list. Don’t forget about last year’s winner Luke Fickell of Cincinnati who makes an appearance on the preseason watch list as well.

While one of the winningest coaches in Big Ten history, Ferentz doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves by the media. Ferentz is consistently ranked below fellow Big Ten coaches and even cross-town rivals.

He doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for how consistent Iowa football is both on and off the field. It is great to see Ferentz placed on the watchlist for such a prestigious award as a symbol of recognition not just of him but of Iowa football in general.

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Ryan Day on 2022 Dodd preseason watchlist for college football coach of the year

You have to think that Day has a good shot at taking this award home in 2022. #GoBucks

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day would tell you that preseason accolades don’t mean anything, but he himself has made a prestigious preseason watchlist that was released on Tuesday.

The Bobby Todd Coach of the Year Award is handed out annually to the FBS college football coach “whose team excels on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.” It is handed out by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and has been around since 1976. Ryan Day is one of 20 names appearing on the preseason Dodd watchlist for 2022.

Day, entering his fourth full season as the coach of Ohio State, has an overall record of 34-4, has lost just one Big Ten game, has two Big Ten championships, and two College Football Playoff appearances. He has a team coming back that is expected to compete for the ultimate prize and is one of the bright, young, offensive minds in the game.

Jim Tressel is the only Ohio State coach to win the award back in 2002. This year’s recipient will be announced at halftime of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31.

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Mel Tucker picked as Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after win over UM

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker has been selected as the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week

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Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker has been selected as the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.

Tucker’s Spartans picked up an impressive victory over previously-No. 6 Michigan this past weekend to remain undefeated on the season. Michigan State trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half before coming back to win by a score of 37-33.

The Dodd Trophy is handed out at the end of the year to the best college football coach for the season. Tucker certainly will be part of that conversation if Michigan State continues to win.

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James Franklin makes midseason coach of the year watch list

Penn State head coach James Franklin is in the mix for a coach of the year award this season

Although the last game he coached resulted in a loss, Penn State head coach James Franklin has succeeded enough this season to earn some praise midway through the college football season. On Thursday, Franklin was included on a list of midseason coach of the year candidates by The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl.

Franklin was one of 16 college football coaches named to the midseason watch list for The Dodd Trophy, which is one of the coach of the year awards in college football.

Franklin was originally part of the preseason watch list released by The Dodd Trophy over the summer leading up to the start of the 2021 season.

The Dodd Trophy was first awarded in 1976 to Georgia head coach Vince Dooley. Penn State’s Joe Paterno is one of two coaches to ever win the award twice. Paterno won the Dodd Trophy in 1981 and again in 2005. Kansas State’s Bill Snyder is the only other two-time winner of the award.

2021 Midseason Dodd Trophy Watch List

  • Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
  • Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
  • Mario Cristobal, Oregon
  • Ryan Day, Ohio State
  • Dave Doeren, NC State
  • Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
  • Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
  • Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
  • James Franklin, Penn State
  • Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
  • Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
  • Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
  • Nick Saban, Alabama
  • Kirby Smart, Georgia
  • Mark Stoops, Kentucky
  • Mel Tucker, Michigan State

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Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker named to Dodd Trophy watch list

Tuck Comin! Mel Tucker has been named to the Dodd Trophy watch list

The head man of the Michigan State football program Mel Tucker has turned a lot of heads this season, leading the Spartans to a 7-0 start to the season.

Coming off of a 2-5 season in 2020, expectations were not that high coming into the 2021 campaign, but that didn’t stop Tucker from shattering them all.

The rise of the Spartans, seemingly from out of nowhere, is a huge feather in Tucker’s cap. Tucker’s accomplishment this season has garnered a lot of national attention and that is shown again when Tucker was named to the Dodd Trophy watch-list.

The trophy, named after the legendary coach Bobby Dodd, is a coach of the year award that is annually given to the head coach whose team excels on the field, in the classroom and in the community.

Mel Tucker has a chance to be the first coach in Michigan State history to win the Dodd Trophy.

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Ryan Day one of 17 coaches on Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

Let’s hope Ohio State has the type of season that keeps Day in the running for this all season long. We know the off-the-field stuff will be there.

It’s no secret that Ryan Day has taken the college football world by storm. Heck, he’s yet to lose a Big Ten or regular-season game in two-plus seasons as the head of the Ohio State program. His only two losses have come in the College Football Playoff.

And though everyone used a get out of jail free card early on by using the “yeah, but he’s too new” excuse, Day is starting to get recognition. The latest comes by way of the 2021 Preseason Dodd Trophy Watch List where Day is one of 17 coaches appearing.

The list was made using a selection process that considered each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2021 season, and academic progress for student-athletes.

“The Dodd Trophy is the most coveted coach of the year award because it looks beyond just the results on the field and measures the overall impact these coaches have had on their players, universities and communities,” chairman Jim Terry said in a statement.

The other coaches on the watch list include:

  1. Tom Allen, Indiana
  2. Mack Brown, North Carolina
  3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
  4. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
  5. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
  6. Ryan Day, Ohio State
  7. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
  8. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
  9. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
  10. James Frankin, Penn State
  11. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
  12. Jimmy Lake, Washington
  13. Dan Mullen, Florida
  14. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
  15. Nick Saban, Alabama
  16. Kirby Smart, Georgia
  17. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

“These coaches are coming off one of the most unprecedented and trying seasons in the history of college football, but found a way to persevere in the face of adversity.” Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan said. “They have consistently found success no matter the circumstances and we look forward to seeing how they lead their teams as we return to a sense of normalcy this season.”

Ohio State is expected to once again be one of the best teams in the country with Ryan Day steering the ship. If he has more success on the field and continues to be there for noble causes like mental health and the well-being of his student-athletes, there’s a real good chance Day could nab this award.

That all comes later though. For now, it’s at least a nod in Day’s direction that he has been included on the preseason watch list.

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Nick Saban named to Dodd Trophy watchlist for 2021 CFB season

Nick Saban is being watched!

Many would consider Alabama head coach Nick Saban a living legend and one of the greatest coaches in the game of football. Well, one year after earning national championship No. 7 in his collegiate career, Saban is on the watchlist for the Dodd trophy, which is awarded to an FBS coach, “whose program represents three pillars of success: Scholarship, Leadership and Integrity.”

Coach Saban has won the award once in 2014 and now was the opportunity to win it for a second time.

He joins a list of other talented coaches with high-profile programs, such as Penn State‘s James Franklin, Ohio State‘s Ryan Day, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and many more.

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Mel Tucker named Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week following upset of Northwestern

When you pick up a big-upset victory over a highly ranked team, you’ll get some recognition.

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When you pick up a big-upset victory over a highly ranked team, you’ll get some recognition. That was the case for a pair of Michigan State football players on Monday, and new head coach Mel Tucker got the same treatment on Tuesday.

Tucker was selected as the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week on Tuesday after leading the Spartans to a 29-20 victory over then-No. 13 Northwestern. The victory was Tucker’s second of his career at MSU, with both coming against highly ranked teams.

“Coach Tucker is already leaving his mark at Michigan State with two marquee wins during his first season,” Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, said in a press release. “Coach Dodd believed every game was important, but there’s no doubt that he would admire how Coach Tucker has been able to motivate his team against some of its toughest competition this season.”

Senior linebacker Antjuan Simmons and senior kicker Matt Coghlin each received Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Monday, with Simmons being named Defensive Player of the Week and Coghlin named Co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

The Spartans return to the field on Saturday against No. 4 Ohio State. Kickoff from Spartan Stadium is scheduled for 12 p.m. EST and the game can be seen on ABC.

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