Most coveted national coach of the year award honors
scholarship, leadership and integrity during its 50th anniversary season.
Watch list includes 26 coaches representing all Power Four conferences, as well as the AAC, Mountain West and an independent.
ATLANTA (July 7, 2025) – The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today released the preseason watch list for the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank. This year’s list includes 26 of the nation’s top college football coaches representing all Power Four conferences, as well as the AAC, Mountain West and an independent.
Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, 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. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, the award was established 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 watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2025 season.
Coaches in the first year with their current teams were not included as they are ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy until their second year with their program. Head coaches named to this year’s watch list were also required to have an APR above the national average of 969.
“As we enter our 50th anniversary season, we’re looking for exceptional candidates to join the storied fraternity of coaching greats who have previously won The Dodd Trophy,” said Chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Jim Terry. “Over the last half century, this award has always stood for more than just wins on the field, but also focuses on how coaches should embody leadership with their student-athletes in the classroom and throughout their communities. Keeping this in mind, we only consider coaches whose programs have earned the highest APRs and require coaches to have at least two years of experience leading their current programs, so that they have had time to establish a precedent at their universities, both on and off the field.”
The 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List Presented by PNC Bank:
| Coach | School | Conference | APR (2023-24) |
| Bret Bielema | Illinois | Big Ten | 980 |
| Jeff Brohm | Louisville | ACC | 989 |
| Curt Cignetti | Indiana | Big Ten | 982 |
| Mario Cristobal | Miami (FL) | ACC | 987 |
| Matt Campbell | Iowa State | Big 12 | 1000 |
| Spencer Danielson | Boise State | Mountain West | 994 |
| Ryan Day | Ohio State | Big Ten | 1000 |
| Kalen DeBoer | Alabama | SEC | 1000 |
| Kenny Dillingham | Arizona State | Big 12 | 983 |
| Eliah Drinkwitz | Mizzou | SEC | 993 |
| Mike Elko | Texas A&M | SEC | 974 |
| James Franklin | Penn State | Big Ten | 976 |
| Marcus Freeman | Notre Dame | Independent | 987 |
| Josh Heupel | Tennessee | SEC | 982 |
| Brian Kelly | LSU | SEC | 1000 |
| Brent Key | Georgia Tech | ACC | 991 |
| Chris Klieman | Kansas State | Big 12 | 997 |
| Dan Lanning | Oregon | Big Ten | 981 |
| Joey McGuire | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 997 |
| Jeff Monken | Army | AAC | 980 |
| Steve Sarkisian | Texas | SEC | 991 |
| Ryan Silverfield | Memphis | AAC | 973 |
| Kalani Sitake | BYU | Big 12 | 978 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | SEC | 1000 |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | ACC | 1000 |
| Brent Venables | Oklahoma | SEC | 993 |
Coaches named to this year’s preseason watch list have combined for five national championships, 36 FBS conference titles and secured 2,145 wins throughout their careers.
Of the 26 coaches on the watch list, three are previous winners of The Dodd Trophy, including Dabo Swinney (2011), Brian Kelly (2018) and Marcus Freeman (2024).
Additionally, four of the finalists for last year’s award are represented with Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Jeff Monken (Army) and eventual winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.
The SEC leads all conferences with eight coaches named to the preseason watch list, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12, who each have five coaches represented. Four ACC coaches were included on the list, along with two AAC representatives and one coach from the Mountain West.
“For 50 years now, The Dodd Trophy has set the standard for collegiate head coaching awards through its continued emphasis on scholarship, leadership and integrity,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. “Although our sport has continuously evolved over the years, these three pillars have stood the test of time and continue to be hallmarks of what make a coach successful on and off the field. We’re looking forward to kicking off another season and seeing how things unfold for all 26 of these coaches throughout the year.”
“PNC is proud to join the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. in presenting this prestigious award during its 50th anniversary season,” said Samantha Jones, PNC regional president for Georgia. “We look forward to following this elite group of collegiate coaches throughout the year, as their leadership is tested both on and off the field.”
A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released 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 2025 season. The winner of the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Starting in September on a weekly basis, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches 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 Presented by PNC Bank:
The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC 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. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages and operates The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $65.8 million to organizations in need since 2002.
Peach Bowl, Inc Events:
Our Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including the CFP Semifinal in 2026. Over its 57 years, the game has drawn 3.38 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 257.1 million viewers on ESPN, and has created $934.2 million in direct economic impact and $55.18 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Aflac Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. With 21 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn nearly 1.4 million fans, 108.6 million television viewers, distributed $127.7 million in team payouts and created an additional $593.8 million in economic impact and $41.5 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $10 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
