CINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati Defensive Coordinator
Marcus Freeman was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award Tuesday, the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation announced. The Broyles Award annually honors college football's top assistant coach.
Freeman, who also mentors UC's linebackers, has coached a dominant Bearcats defense which has held seven of eight opponents under 20 points including holding three of the American Athletic Conference's top offenses to a combined 33 points. Cincinnati has allowed 13 TDs on defense this year, the top mark in the NCAA FBS among teams with 8+ games.
Among NCAA FBS teams, UC leads the AAC and ranks No. 2 in pass efficiency defense (94.74), No. 4 in in scoring defense (15.0 ppg), and No. 10 in total defense (308.1).
The Bearcats' secondary has been elite, leading the American with 13 interceptions and 48 passes defended. C has forced a turnover in 18-straight games, the longest active streak in the NCAA FBS. In FootballOutsiders.com's DFEI defense ratings, Cincinnati is third overall (1.11) and sits behind Clemson (1.30) and Northwestern (1.18).
UC had a school-record 17 players named to the All-AAC teams Tuesday, including first-team defenders CB
Coby Bryant (Cleveland, Ohio/Glenville), CB
Ahmad Gardner (Detroit, Michigan/Martin Luther King), DL
Myjai Sanders (Jacksonville, Florida/Camden County), LB
Jarell White (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) and S
James Wiggins (Miami, Florida/South Dade).
A selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, broadcasters, and a committee representing the FWAA narrowed the list of nominees to 15 semi-finalists. Five finalists will be selected from the list of semi-finalists then an overall winner.
No. 6 Cincinnati faces No. 20 Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. The game airs on ABC and 700 WLW AM.
2020 BROYLES AWARD SEMIFINALISTS
ALABAMA, Steve Sarkisian, Offensive Coordinator / QB
BYU, Jeff Grimes, Offensive Coordinator
CINCINNATI,
Marcus Freeman, Defensive Coordinator / LB
COASTAL CAROLINA, Chad Staggs, Defensive Coordinator / LB
FLORIDA, Brian Johnson, Offensive Coordinator / QB
INDIANA, Kane Wommack, Defensive Coordinator / LB
IOWA, Phil Parker, Defensive Coordinator / Secondaries
IOWA STATE, Tom Manning, Offensive Coordinator / TE
MIAMI, Rhett Lashlee, Offensive Coordinator / QB
NORTH CAROLINA, Phil Longo, Offensive Coordinator / QB / TE
NORTHWESTERN, Mike Hankwitz, Defensive Coordinator
NOTRE DAME, Clark Lea, Defensive Coordinator / LB
OHIO STATE, Brian Hartline, Wide Receivers
OLE MISS, Jeff Lebby, Offensive Coordinator / QB
TEXAS A&M, Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator / S
ABOUT THE BROYLES AWARD
The
Broyles Award was created in 1996 recognizing Coach Frank Broyles' legacy of selecting and developing great assistants during his hall of fame career as head coach at Arkansas. You can follow the Broyles Award on
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