On Friday, the 2017 Dodd Trophy finalists were announced with seven college football coaches making the cut.
The award is given out annually to the coach who best embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, both on and off the field.
“We’re proud to award The Dodd Trophy each year to a coach who excels in all areas of the profession. It would be easy to choose a winner based on only the performance on the field, but Coach Dodd stood for more than that,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, in a statement.
“All of these finalists truly exemplify the type of leadership that Bobby Dodd valued and are noteworthy candidates to join the esteemed group of former Dodd Trophy recipients.”
This year’s finalists include coaches from the AAC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC, combining for an overall record of 76-12.
The 2017 winner will be announced by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation in Atlanta during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Week.
The full list of 2017 Dodd Trophy finalists can be seen below:
Coach | School | CFP Ranking | APR Score |
Paul Chryst | Wisconsin | No. 6 | 990 |
Pat Fitzgerald | Northwestern | No. 21 | 995 |
Scott Frost | UCF | No. 12 | 984 |
Mark Richt | Miami | No. 10 | 965 |
David Shaw | Stanford | No. 13 | 985 |
Kirby Smart | Georgia | No. 3 | 961 |
Dabo Swinney | Clemson | No. 1 | 980 |
Who do you think should bring home the award? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts and predictions.
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