HOUSTON, TEXAS – Duke Blue Devils head football coach David Cutcliffe was named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the American Heart Association and Marathon Oil Corporation on Wednesday
The award honors excellence in college football coaching while raising funds to fight heart disease and stroke.
Cutcliffe earned the nomination while guiding the Blue Devils to a current No. 23 ranking in the Associated Press poll, sitting with a 5-1 record overall, and 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
His team’s defense has been one of the best in the country, ranking first in fewest first downs allowed (79), second in points per game (9.33) and passing yards per game (131.17), and fourth in total yards per game (252.83).
Of the 22 coaches on the Watch List, the winner will be announced out of a final group of five to 10 finalists on Jan. 13, 2016, in Houston, as voted on by the membership of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA).