ATLANTA (Sept. 3, 2020) – The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today released the preseason watch list for the 2020 Dodd Trophy. This year’s list includes 13 of the nation’s top college football coaches representing teams who are scheduled to play during the fall season.
The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.
The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, taking into consideration each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2020 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR). Coaches in the first year with their current team are ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy and only those coaches who have played during the fall season will be eligible for this year’s award.
“An unprecedented season calls for an unprecedented preseason watch list,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “When considering candidates for this year’s Dodd Trophy, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation made the decision to align with the College Football Playoff’s timeline and only consider coaches who will play during the fall season. That said, we still would like to recognize coaches from other conferences who met all of the criteria and under normal circumstances would be included on our list.”
The 2020 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List:
| Coach | School | Conference |
| Mack Brown | North Carolina | ACC |
| Luke Fickell | Cincinnati | AAC |
| Tom Herman | Texas | Big 12 |
| Josh Heupel | UCF | AAC |
| Brian Kelly | Notre Dame | ACC* |
| Gus Malzahn | Auburn | SEC |
| Bronco Mendenhall | Virginia | ACC |
| Dan Mullen | Florida | SEC |
| Ed Orgeron | LSU | SEC |
| Lincoln Riley | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | SEC |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | SEC |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | ACC |
*For 2020 season only
The Dodd Trophy would also like to recognize the following coaches from conferences scheduled to play in the spring. These nine coaches all met the same criteria as the 13 coaches named to the preseason watch list, but are not eligible to win the award this season considering The Dodd Trophy will be awarded in December before their seasons are completed.
| Coach | School | Conference |
| Paul Chryst | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Mario Cristobal | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Ryan Day | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Herm Edwards | Arizona State | Pac-12 |
| P.J. Fleck | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| James Franklin | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Bryan Harsin | Boise State | Mountain West |
| Kyle Whittingham | Utah | Pac-12 |
“In a season that’s facing so many uncertainties during these unprecedented times, leadership becomes imperative,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO & President Gary Stokan. “All of these coaches have persevered through many challenges during their careers, but nothing like what they will face this year. We look forward to seeing how each of these coaches navigate these new challenges to continue to lead their teams, both on and off the field, throughout the course of this unique season.”
Of the 13 coaches on the watch list, four are previous winners of The Dodd Trophy, including Brian Kelly (2018), Nick Saban (2014), Dabo Swinney (2011) and Mack Brown (2008). Additionally, two finalists from last year are on the 2020 watch list, including Ed Orgeron and Dabo Swinney.
The SEC leads all conferences with five coaches making the list. The ACC features four head coaches on the watch list followed by the Big 12 and AAC with two apiece.
A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released later in the fall. A panel consisting of 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 2020 season. The winner of the 2020 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
During the course of the season, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also be presented weekly to the coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.
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About the Dodd Trophy
The Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football’s legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.
About Peach Bowl, Inc.
Peach Bowl, Inc. operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, one of the New Year’s Six Bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff. The Bowl has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the country, with 52 percent of its games being decided by a touchdown or less. Peach Bowl, Inc. has disbursed $280.7 million in team payouts over its 52-year history. Peach Bowl, Inc. also leads all other bowl game organizations in charitable and scholarship contributions, having donated or committed $57.2 million to organizations in need since 2002. Peach Bowl, Inc. also created and manages the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award and led the relocation and financial foundation of the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta. For more information, visit Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com or follow us on Twitter at @CFAPeachBowl and find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CFAPeachBowl.
