By Reggie Gatlin-Holt
THE BOBBY DODD TROPHY
COACH FISCH’S BIO
https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/jedd-fisch/5754
TUCSON, Ariz. – Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. have announced that Arizona Football Head Coach Jedd Fisch is among the five finalists for the 2023 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank. Finalists include the nation’s top coaches in college football who embody the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, both on and off the field.
This year’s finalists represent three different conferences, including the ACC, SEC, and Pac-12. These coaches have combined for a 57-6 record so far this season and have collectively won 519 games, 16 FBS conference championships, and seven national championships throughout their careers.
Nick Saban was awarded the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award in 2014 and this marks Saban’s third selection as a finalist (2014, 2018). Kalen DeBoer, Eliah Drinkwitz, Jedd Fisch and Mike Norvell are all making their first appearance on the finalist list.
Three of the five finalists – DeBoer (Pac-12), Drinkwitz (SEC) and Norvell (ACC) – won their respective conference’s Coach of the Year awards for this season, while DeBoer, Norvell and Saban also won their conference championships earlier this month.
“This has been one of the most exhilarating years of college football in recent memory, but these five men found a way to stand out among the rest,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “Each of these coaches has left a significant mark on their respective universities and truly embodies the guiding principles that this award stands for: scholarship, leadership, and integrity.”
“The Dodd Trophy is the sport’s most coveted coach of the year award because it looks holistically at all aspects of what a coach’s position should entail, both on and off the field,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “These five finalists not only succeeded on the football field this year, but also in the classroom and throughout their communities as well.”
Finalists were selected by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family, and a College Football Hall of Fame member. The winner of the 2023 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during bowl week at this year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The 2023 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank Finalists:
| Coach | School | Conference | CFP Ranking: | Record | 2022 APR Score: |
| FIRST YEAR COACHES INELIGIBLE DUE TO LACK OF APR AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT | |||||
| Kalen DeBoer | Washington | Pac-12 | 2 | 13-0 | 986 |
| Eliah Drinkwitz | Mizzou | SEC | 9 | 10-2 | 989 |
| Jedd Fisch | Arizona | Pac-12 | 14 | 9-3 | 966 |
| Mike Norvell | Florida State | ACC | 5 | 13-0 | 983 |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | SEC | 4 | 12-1 | 995 |
Arizona capped the 2023 season with a dominant 59-23 win over rival Arizona State, marking the second straight win over ASU for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The Wildcats have been led by impressive improvement on both sides of the ball over the last two to three years.
The improvement began on offense with the Wildcats jumping from 101st in total offense in 2021 to 20th in 2022 and then 18th in total offense in 2023. Arizona moved from 124th in the nation in scoring offense two seasons ago to 22nd in 2023, jumping from 17.2 points per game in Coach Fisch’s first season to 34.3 points per game this past season.
Defense saw a rise in performance over the past two seasons, moving from 124th in total defense to 36th nationally on the defensive side of the ball. The defense was solid in the red zone in 2023 finishing 11th in the nation in red zone defense compared to 97th in 2022. The Wildcats surrendered far fewer points in the 2023 season compared to 2022, moving to 26th (20.8 ppg) nationally in scoring defense this season, compared to 125th (36.5 ppg) nationally in allowing points a season ago.
Under Coach Fisch’s leadership, the Wildcats finished third in the Pac-12 and are heading to the Alamo Bowl, making an appearance in a bowl game for the first time since 2017. This is the highest finish in the conference for the Wildcats since winning the South Division and appearing in the Pac-12 Championship game against Oregon in 2014.
Over the past two seasons, Arizona has had one of the most explosive offenses in college football, finishing tied for 14th in the regular season with 72 plays of 20-plus yards in 2023 and finishing 9th in college football with 84 plays of 20-plus yards in 2022.
No. 14 Arizona is back in action on Dec. 28 against No. 12 Oklahoma in The Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Considering The Dodd Trophy represents more than just a coach’s performance on the field, a coach in his first year, who has not had a full season to establish his own impact on APR and the local community, is not eligible to win.
TheDoddTrophy.com
@DoddTrophy
About PNC Bank:
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.
About the Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank 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 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 $62 million to organizations in need since 2002.
Peach Bowl, Inc Events:
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including a CFP Semifinal every third year and top-ranked teams from around the country in the other two years of each three-year cycle. Over its 55 years, the game has drawn 3.2 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 232 million viewers on ESPN, delivered $233.1 million in team payouts, and has created $840 million in direct economic impact for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Aflac Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. Over 20 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn 1.3 million fans, 100.4 million television viewers, distributed $117.7 million in team payouts and created an additional $550.8 million in economic impact.
The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $9.3 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
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