Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal earned a place on the prestigious Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Trophy preseason watch list. Cristobal, now in his fourth year at Miami, was named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy watch list alongside other ACC coaches such as Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Brent Key (Georgia Tech) and Jeff Brohm (Louisville).
The Dodd Trophy, regarded as one of college football’s most esteemed coaching honors, hallmarks Bobby Dodd’s legacy. Cristobal has been firmly at the helm since December 2021, guiding the Hurricanes to an impressive 10–3 record in 2024, with a 6–2 mark in ACC play under a system averaging over 40 points per game.
Inclusion on the watch list places Cristobal among a select group of 26 coaches in 2025, representing every Power Four conference, as well as selections from the AAC, Mountain West and Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman was the most recent winner in 2024, and no coach has claimed the award in back-to-back seasons. Below is the full list of coaches included in the watch list:
- Bret Bielema – Illinois
- Jeff Brohm – Louisville
- Curt Cignetti – Indiana
- Mario Cristobal – Miami (FL)
- Matt Campbell – Iowa State
- Spencer Danielson – Boise State
- Ryan Day – Ohio State
- Kalen DeBoer – Alabama
- Kenny Dillingham – Arizona State
- Eliah Drinkwitz – Missouri
- Mike Elko – Texas A&M
- James Franklin – Penn State
- Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame
- Josh Heupel – Tennessee
- Brian Kelly – LSU
- Brent Key – Georgia Tech
- Chris Klieman – Kansas State
- Dan Lanning – Oregon
- Joey McGuire – Texas Tech
- Jeff Monken – Army
- Steve Sarkisian – Texas
- Ryan Silverfield – Memphis
- Kalani Sitake – BYU
- Kirby Smart – Georgia
- Dabo Swinney – Clemson
- Brent Venables – Oklahoma
The mid‑season Dodd watch list narrows in fall and the winner will be unveiled during College Football Playoff week at the Chick‑fil‑A Peach Bowl in Atlanta.