
Swinney Named to 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List
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 I-A) 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 Jim Terry, Chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “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.”
2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List
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 2,145 wins throughout their careers.
Of the 26 coaches, three are previous winners of The Dodd Trophy: Dabo Swinney (2011), Brian Kelly (2018), and Marcus Freeman (2024).
Additionally, four of last year’s finalists are back on the list: Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Jeff Monken (Army), and Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame) – the 2024 Dodd Trophy winner.
The SEC leads all conferences with eight coaches named to the watch list, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 with five each. The ACC has four representatives, the AAC has two, and the Mountain West has one.
“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.”
“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, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches whose programs best embody the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership, and integrity, while also achieving success on the field.