Lake Among 17 Coaches On 2021 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List
ATLANTA -- The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. released the preseason watch list for the 2021 Dodd Trophy presented by PNC and Washington second-year coach Jimmy Lake was among the 17 nominees. This year's list includes the nation's top college football coaches representing all Power Five conferences, as well as the AAC, Sun Belt and an independent. Lake is the only preseason representative from the Pac-12 Conference.
Lake led the Huskies to a 3-1 season in 2020 and won the Pac-12 North Division title. Four Huskies – two each on offense and defense – earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and the Huskies led the conference in total defense.
Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc., 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.
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 graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2021 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR). Coaches in the first year with their current team are ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy.
"The Dodd Trophy is the most coveted coach of the year award because it looks beyond just the results on the field and measures the overall impact these coaches have had on their players, universities and communities. This was never more pivotal than last season," said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. "Each of these coaches showed unwavering commitment to the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, despite all of the obstacles and challenges they had to overcome this past year in the face of the pandemic."
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 2021 season. The winner of the 2021 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.