Sitake named to Bear Bryant Award watch list

PROVO, Utah — BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake was named Tuesday to the 2020 Paul “Bear” Bryant Award watch list. 

The Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award recognizes the country’s top college football coach for contributions both on and off the field. Sitake is one of just 24 coaches nationally who will be considered for the highly coveted award. 

The award, presented each January, is the only college football honor selected after the postseason bowl games and the national championship game are concluded. The winner will be announced live on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, during a virtual awards ceremony benefiting the American Heart Association, which has sponsored the award since 1986.

Sitake has guided BYU to an 8-0 record and a No. 8 national ranking in 2020 with consistently strong performances that have kept the Cougars in the national polls each week of the season. BYU is off to the program’s best start since 2001, when the Cougars began the year 12-0. BYU teams have started the year 8-0 four times (2020, 2001, 1984, 1979) in the program’s storied football history.

BYU is the only FBS team to be currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense (9th; 45 .3 ppg), scoring defense (6th; 13 .9 ppg), total offense (8th; 533.4 ypg) and total defense (6th; 284 .9 ypg). Reflecting the strength of its No. 8 ranking, the Cougars have achieved top-10 ratings in 10 different NCAA statistical categories overall.

The Cougars are led by Heisman Trophy candidate Zach Wilson, who is top 10 in the nation in points responsible for (1st, 184), completion percentage (3rd, 75 .1), passing yards (4th, 2,512), passing TDs (4th, 22), passing yards per attempt (4th, 11), pass efficiency (5th, 201.6), and passing yards per game (9th, 314).

The coaches on the 2020 watch list are listed below in alphabetical order:

Tom Allan, Indiana University
Matt Campbell, Iowa State University
Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina University
Paul Chryst, University of Wisconsin
Mario Cristobal, University of Oregon
Ryan Day, The Ohio State University 
Manny Diaz, University of Miami
Karl Dorrell, University of Colorado
Luke Fickell, University of Cincinnati
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M University
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern University
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State University
Clay Helton, University of Southern California
Tom Herman, The University of Texas at Austin
Doc Holliday, Marshall University
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame University
Gus Malzahn, Auburn University
Dan Mullen, University of Florida
Jay Norvell, University of Nevada
Lincoln Riley, University of Oklahoma
Nick Saban, University of Alabama
KALANI SITAKE, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
Kirby Smart, University of Georgia
Dabo Swinney, Clemson University