LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) – The award given to the nation’s top college football assistant coach has narrowed their list down to 15 as the semifinalists were named on Tuesday.
Oklahoma’s Bill Bedenbaugh was among those named but that list will be trimmed to five finalists who will appear at the trophy presentation on Dec. 5. That presentation will be broadcast live on KFSM at 11 a.m.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables won the award in 2016. Winners from the past five seasons are not eligible to win the award.
Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley won the award in 2015 as the Sooners’ offensive coordinator while Tom Herman was the winner in 2014 as he was on the Ohio State coaching staff. Auburn’s Gus Malzahn won the award as the offensive coordinator in 2010, prior to becoming the head coach at Arkansas State.
The award was created in 1996 to recognize the nation’s best assistant coach and was named after longtime Arkansas coach Frank Froyles. Broyles led the University of Arkansas as a football coach and then an athletic director for nearly 50 years before retiring in 2007.
School | Coach | Position |
Alabama | Brian Daboll | Offensive Coordinator |
Auburn | Kevin Steele | Defensive Coordinator |
Clemson | Tony Elliot | Co-Offensive Coordinator |
Georgia | Mel Tukcer | Defensive Coordinator |
Iowa State | Jon Heacock | Defensive Coordinator |
Miami | Manny Diaz | Defensive Coordinator |
Mississippi State | Todd Grantham | Defensive Coordinator |
Notre Dame | Mike Elko | Defensive Coordinator |
Oklahoma | Bill Bedenbaugh | Offensive Coordinator |
TCU | Chad Glasgow | Defensive Coordinator |
UCF | Troy Walters | Offensive Coordinator |
USC | Tee Martin | Offensive Coordinator |
Washington | Pete Kwiatkowski | Defensive Coordinator |
Washington State | Alex Grinch | Defensive Coordinator |
Wisconsin | Jim Leonhard | Defensive Coordinator |