Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has landed on the Dodd Trophy preseason watch list, joining 19 other coaches nationally and two others from the ACC in the first round of recognition for college football’s top coaching honor.
The list was announced Thursday morning and includes Miami’s Mario Cristobal and Georgia Tech’s Brent Key alongside Brohm. The Dodd Trophy is presented as college football’s most coveted national coaching award, and it is built around more than just wins. The award spotlights a head coach who finds success on the field while also emphasizing scholarship, leadership and integrity.
This year’s watch list was assembled by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. The selection process weighed each program’s Academic Progress Rate, Graduation Success Rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, and projected success for the 2026 season.
Brohm is heading into his fourth season leading Louisville in 2026, and the Cardinals have gone 28-12 during his first three years. Under his watch, Louisville has posted at least nine wins in each of his three seasons, making it one of only two ACC programs to reach that mark over the last three years. Brohm also took the Cardinals to the ACC Championship game in his first season.
The 2026 watch list is loaded with familiar names. Along with Brohm, the group includes Bret Bielema, Curt Cignetti, Spencer Danielson, Ryan Day, Kalen DeBoer, Sonny Dykes, Mike Elko, Kirk Ferentz, Jedd Fisch, Marcus Freeman, Willie Fritz, Josh Heupel, Dan Lanning, Lincoln Riley, Steve Sarkisian, Kirby Smart and Brent Venables.
The APR numbers attached to the list show the range of programs being recognized, from Ryan Day’s Ohio State, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama, Mike Elko’s Texas A&M and Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame at 1000, to Kirby Smart’s Georgia at 981. Louisville is listed at 972.
The coaches on this year’s preseason watch list have combined for four national championships, 31 FBS conference titles and 1,841 career wins. Four past Dodd Trophy winners are on the list: Cignetti, Ferentz, Freeman and Willie Fritz. Three of last year’s finalists are also represented, with Day, Smart and Cignetti, who went on to win the 2025 award.
Louisville will open its 2026 season on September 6 in Nashville, Tenn., against Ole Miss. Before that, the program will take part in ACC Kickoff on July 16.
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