All four coaches taking a team to the College Football Playoff and two more who saw dramatic turnaround seasons were named finalists for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club on Monday. Ohio State’s Ryan Day, LSU’s Ed Orgeron, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney are all in the running for this particular coach of the year award after leading their programs to the College Football Playoff. They are joined by Minnesota’s PJ Fleck and Baylor’s Matt Rhule as finalists for the award.
Finalists for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award announced by the @MaxwellFootball Club:
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) December 9, 2019
Ryan Day, Ohio State
PJ Fleck, Minnesota
Ed Orgeron, LSU
Matt Rhule, Baylor
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Day, Orgeron, and Swinney all went undefeated this season en route to a conference championship. Riley is 12-1 this season with the Big 12 championship. Rhule saw the biggest turnarounds this season while taking Baylor to the Big 12 championship game. Fleck’s Minnesota came up one game shy of playing in its first Big Ten championship game.
Swinney won the award in 2015 is the only coach in the running for the award for the second time. Every other coach would be a first-time winner. Army’s Jeff Monken won the award last season.