If your favorite college football program is in the market for a new head coach, you may want to pay close attention to the Broyles Award. The award honors the top assistant coach in the nation, and its list of finalists for the 2015 season’s award was announced on Monday. It includes some names that will likely be a head coach in due time, some as early as this season.
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley are the five finalists for the award. A few have been connected to various coaching carousel headlines and rumors already. Smart is pegged as a possible candidate for either the Georgia or South Carolina vacancy. Venables has been connected to some rumors as well and Chizik, of course, has previous head coaching success worth noting as well.
Last year’s winner, Tom Herman, won the award as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and now he is the rising head coach at Houston. Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi won the award the previous season as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator. The year before that saw Notre Dame assistant Bob Diaco win the award. He is now the head coach at UConn. Other past winners of the award that have gone on to become a head coach include Gus Malzahn, Kevin Wilson, Norm Chow, Randy Shannon, Mark Mangino, Ralph Friedgen and David Cutcliffe. You can also add Chizik’s name to that list. The 2004 Broyles Award winner later went on to be the head coach at Iowa State before returning to Auburn as head coach. He and Smart are looking to be the first two-time winner of the award.
The Broyles Award winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 8.