Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards 2024 Coach of the Year Finalists Named

HOUSTON, January 8, 2025 — Eight active college football coaches make up the American Heart Association’s 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award finalist list. The award is given each January to a college football coach for contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life – both on and off the field. The Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award is the only college football coaching honor given after the National Champion has been determined. The finalists and Coach of the Year recipient are voted on by members of the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team and the Bryant Family.

Five of the finalists were also named Bear Bryant conference coaches of the year for their respective collegiate athletic conferences.

The 2024 Coach of the Year finalists are (in alphabetical order by finalist last name):

Shane Beamer, University of South Carolina (Bear Bryant Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year) 

Curt Cignetti, University of Indiana (Bear Bryant Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year) 

Spencer Danielson, Boise State University 

Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State University (Bear Bryant Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year) 

Marcus Freeman, University of Notre Dame 

Rhett Lashlee, Southern Methodist University (Bear Bryant Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year) 

Jeff Monken, United States Military Academy (Bear Bryant Group of Five Coach of the Year) 

Steve Sarkisian, University of Texas 

Now in its 39th year, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year award winner will be announced live from Houston’s Post Oak Hotel on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, during an awards ceremony presented by Marathon Oil. The event will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives for all and the Bryant family jointly present the award annually. The award celebrates Coach Bear Bryant’s legacy and raises awareness and critical funds for scientific research to eliminate needless suffering and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke — the leading causes of death globally. The football coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983.

As previously announced, Grant Teaff, the legendary former Baylor University head coach and American Football Coaches Association executive director and Mark Richt, former University of Georgia and University of Miami head coach, will also be recognized with special awards at this year’s gala event. Coach Teaff will receive the 2025 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston and Coach Richt will receive the 2025 Heart of a Champion Award presented by St. Luke’s Health in Houston.

Marathon Oil Corporation, an independent exploration and production company based in Houston, has served as the presenting local sponsor of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards for more than a decade, underscoring the company’s commitment to health and wellness and supporting initiatives that promote the well-being of workers and their families in the communities where it operates. Fans can follow the action at facebook.com/bryantawards, twitter.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.

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2024 Bryant Awards Finalists