Whittingham, Sitake Named To Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List

SALT LAKE CITY – Both Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and BYU’s Kalani Sitake have been named to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list on Tuesday.

Whittingham and Sitake are among 20 head coaches in the country that were named to the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl. They take into consideration each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2022 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Something to note is that head coaches that are entering their first year with their current team is ineligible to receive The Dodd Trophy.

Introducing the 2022 Dodd Trophy Presented by @PNCBank Preseason Watch List 👀 Take a look at 2️⃣0️⃣ of the nation’s top coaches and Dodd Trophy hopefuls. (First-year coaches are ineligible.)
📰: https://t.co/MBtmLKzrNS pic.twitter.com/kZGmVzE2JU

— The Dodd Trophy (@thedoddtrophy) July 12, 2022

“College football has seen many changes in recent years, but all of these coaches have held true to our award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “What separates The Dodd Trophy and truly makes it the most coveted coach of the year award, is our commitment to recognizing all that these coaches do, not only on the football field, but in the classroom and throughout their communities as well. This is why we require coaches to have at least two years of experience leading their current programs, so that they have had time to establish a precedent, both on and off the field.”

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Read: https://t.co/d9EilEzwX5 pic.twitter.com/ijdwlnrkDc

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 12, 2022

Whittingham won the award in 2019, the same season that he took home the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. BYU coaching legend LaVell Edwards won the award 1979.

The following is the list of 20 coaches named to the 2022 Dodd Trophy preseason watch list:

• Dave Aranda, Baylor
• Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
• Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
• Ryan Day, Ohio State
• Dave Doeren, NC State
• Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
• Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
• Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
• Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
• Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
• Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
• Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh
• Sam Pittman, Arkansas
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Kalani Sitake, BYU
• Kirby Smart, Georgia
• Mark Stoops, Kentucky
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson
• Mel Tucker, Michigan State
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah

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