Earlier Tuesday afternoon, we learned the winner of the 2019 Broyles Award for top assistant coach in college football. Now, the 9 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year have been named by the Football Writers Association of America, in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Leading the way is LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron, who led the Tigers to the No. 1 ranking in the nation, an SEC Championship, and spot in the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day was also named a finalist, along with Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Lincoln Riley of Oklahoma was the only coach to lead his team to the College Football Playoff that was not named as a finalist for the award.
“The Allstate Sugar Bowl is proud each year to recognize the top college football coach in the nation while at the same time honoring the great accomplishments of a Louisiana legend, Coach Eddie Robinson,” said Monique Morial, the President of the Sugar Bowl Committee in a press release. “And we’re excited that this year we will be recognizing the winner right here in New Orleans as part of the College Football Playoff National Championship festivities that we’re hosting in January.”
The winner will be announced on Friday, December 20.
“These nine coaches have had outstanding seasons,” 2019 FWAA President Matt Fortuna said. “We could not be happier to present this award next month in New Orleans, as each individual exemplifies the values embodied by the award’s namesake, Eddie Robinson.”
The full list of 9 finalists can be seen below.
- Ryan Day, Ohio State
- Eliah Drinkwitz, Appalachian State
- Sonny Dykes, SMU
- P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
- Bryan Harsin, Boise State
- Mike Norvell, Memphis
- Ed Orgeron, LSU
- Matt Rhule, Baylor
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson.
About the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award: The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.
