Key named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

Off the field, Georgia Tech football had a 3.03 grade-point average during the spring 2025 semester, which set an all-time record for the program and also marked the third straight semester that the team had a GPA of 3.0 or higher (also a program record). Tech football’s current NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 90% is also an all-time high.

This year’s preseason list includes 26 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 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 coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, the award was established to honor the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision 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, Graduation Success Rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2025 season.

Coaches named to this year’s preseason watch list have combined for five national championships, 36 FBS conference titles and 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 the eventual winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy, Notre Dame’s Freeman.

The SEC leads all conferences with eight coaches named to the preseason watch list, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12, which 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.

Bret Bielema (Illinois), Jeff Brohm (Louisville), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Mario Cristobal (Miami), Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Spencer Danielson (Boise State), Ryan Day (Ohio State), Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), Dillingham, Eliah Drinkwitz (Missouri), Mike Elko (Texas A&M), James Franklin (Penn State), Freeman, Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Kelly, Chris Klieman (Kansas State), Lanning, Joey McGuire (Texas Tech), Monken, Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Ryan Silverfield (Memphis), Kalani Sitake (Brigham Young), Kirby Smart (Georgia), Swinney and Brent Venables (Oklahoma) joined Key on the list.

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 will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.