Five finalists for the Broyles Award named

The five finalists for the Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant coach in college football, have been named.

The winner of the 2024 Broyles Award will come from a group made up of Arizona State offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, Indiana defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bryant Haines, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks and Texas defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Pete Kwiatkowski.

Each has overseen an exceptional unit during the 2024 campaign.

For Arroyo, a Broyles Award argument can stem from an 11-2 season that saw the Sun Devils make reach the College Football Playoff on the heels of a strong offensive effort.

Running back Cam Skattebo nearly turned into a Heisman Trophy finalist, narrowly missing out. Meanwhile, quarterback Sam Leavitt was excellent.

The Sun Devils finished the year ranked 30th in scoring offense and 38th in total offense, boasting the nation’s 11th most efficient passing attack.

Haines makes his case for the Broyles Award based on a stifling effort on the part of the Indiana defense for most of the team’s schedule. Indiana gave up more than 17 points just three times all season.

The Hoosiers boasted the nation’s No. 1 rushing defense, No. 2 total defense, No. 6 scoring defense and were ranked fourth nationally in turnover margin — a statistic at least partially attributable to the defense.

Golden at Notre Dame had similar defensive success.

The Fighting Irish were the nation’s No. 1 passing efficiency defense, No. 3 passing defense, No. 3 scoring defense and No. 9 total defense. Meanwhile, Notre Dame finished tied for second in turnover margin.

If you’re sensing a theme at this point, you should be, because Banks at Tennessee was equally impressive as a Broyles Award finalist. The Volunteers featured one of the best defensive fronts in the country, making life a living hell on opposing offenses.

Tennessee ranked No. 4 in both total defense and scoring defense, while checking in at No. 8 in rushing defense and No. 9 in passing efficiency defense.

Finally, Kwiatkowski made his case at Texas with a strong overall profile.

The Longhorns had the nation’s No. 1 passing defense, No. 2 scoring defense, No. 2 passing efficiency defense and No. 3 total defense. Not too shabby.

Each will vie for the Broyles Award outright, with a winner to be named on Feb. 13.