Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

On Dec. 5, Troy Head Football Coach Jon Sumrall was named as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award.

Sumrall is a finalist for the second consecutive year and is the finalist that was also a finalist in the 2022 season.

In Sumrall’s two years at the helm at Troy, he has guided his team to back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships and an eye-popping 23-4 record and 14-2 conference record. On Dec. 23, his Trojans will become the very first Sun Belt team to face a Power-5 opponent in a bowl game when Troy faces the ACC’s Duke at the Birmingham Bowl.

The Troy defense has held eight of 13 opponents to 13 points and 300 total yards or fewer this season. Also, Kimani Vidal captured the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and broke the Troy single game, single season and career rushing records, while Javon Solomon has set the school’s FBS single season sack record, tied the Troy single-game sack record and set the Sun Belt season sack record. Vidal and quarterback Gunnar Watson also became just the third duo in Troy history to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season. Solomon and Richard Jibunor also became just the second Troy duo to both record nine or more sacks in a season.

Joining Sumrall as a finalist for the 2023 award is Northwestern’s David Braun, Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell, Washington’s Kelen DeBoer, Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz, Arizona’s Jedd Fisch, SMU’s Rhett Lashlee, Chuck Martin of Miami (Ohio), Florida State’s Mike Norvell, UNLV’s Barry Odom, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian.

The award is named in honor of longtime Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson.