Swinney Named to 2025 Dodd Trophy Watch List

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl announced today that Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney has been named to the watch list for the Dodd Trophy. The full watch list and additional information from the award’s organizers are included below.

ATLANTA (July 7, 2025) – The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today released the preseason watch list for the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank. This year’s list includes 26 of the nation’s top college football coaches representing all Power Four conferences, as well as the AAC, Mountain West and an independent.

Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, the award was established to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2025 season.

Coaches in the first year with their current teams were not included as they are ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy until their second year with their program. Head coaches named to this year’s watch list were also required to have an APR above the national average of 969.

“As we enter our 50th anniversary season, we’re looking for exceptional candidates to join the storied fraternity of coaching greats who have previously won The Dodd Trophy,” said Chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Jim Terry. “Over the last half century, this award has always stood for more than just wins on the field, but also focuses on how coaches should embody leadership with their student-athletes in the classroom and throughout their communities. Keeping this in mind, we only consider coaches whose programs have earned the highest APRs and require coaches to have at least two years of experience leading their current programs, so that they have had time to establish a precedent at their universities, both on and off the field.”

Coaches named to this year’s preseason watch list have combined for five national championships, 36 FBS conference titles and secured 2,145 wins throughout their careers.

Of the 26 coaches on the watch list, three are previous winners of The Dodd Trophy, including Dabo Swinney (2011), Brian Kelly (2018) and Marcus Freeman (2024).

Additionally, four of the finalists for last year’s award are represented with Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Jeff Monken (Army) and eventual winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.

The SEC leads all conferences with eight coaches named to the preseason watch list, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12, who each have five coaches represented. Four ACC coaches were included on the list, along with two AAC representatives and one coach from the Mountain West.

“For 50 years now, The Dodd Trophy has set the standard for collegiate head coaching awards through its continued emphasis on scholarship, leadership and integrity,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. “Although our sport has continuously evolved over the years, these three pillars have stood the test of time and continue to be hallmarks of what make a coach successful on and off the field. We’re looking forward to kicking off another season and seeing how things unfold for all 26 of these coaches throughout the year.”

A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2025 season. The winner of the 2025 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Starting in September on a weekly basis, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.

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About the Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank:
The Dodd Trophy presented by PNC was established in 1976 to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1A) head football coach whose program represents the highest ideals on and off the field. The award honors the coach of a team which enjoys a successful football season, while also stressing the importance of academic excellence and character, as did Coach Dodd’s teams during his 22 years as head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Coach Dodd remains one of college football’s legendary figures, both as a coach and a player. Coach Dodd was a native of Galax, Virginia, and played his college ball at the University of Tennessee where his team had 27 wins, one loss and two ties during the three years he played. Coach Dodd was selected to the National College Football Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player. Additional information about the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation can be found at www.TheDoddTrophy.com. For news, updates and insider information, follow us on Twitter at @DoddTrophy or find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DoddTrophy.

About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages and operates The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $65.8 million to organizations in need since 2002.