South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer named Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year finalist

On Tuesday, South Carolina football’s Shane Beamer was named a finalist for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award. Joining Beamer as finalists are Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Jeff Monken (Army), and Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame). Coach Beamer also is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor. He already has brought home several SEC Coach of the Year awards.

The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, in conjunction with the Peach Bowl, announced the finalists based on their work to emphasize scholarship, leadership, and integrity while achieving on-field excellence.

Beamer and his Gamecocks bounced back from a losing season in 2023 to go 9-3 in the 2024 regular Season. USC finished just outside of the College Football Playoff field and has a chance for a 10-win season for just the fifth time in South Carolina football history when they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on December 31st.

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From the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year press release:

ATLANTA (Dec. 17, 2024) – Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. have announced the finalists for the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank. Finalists include five of the nation’s top college football coaches who embody the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, both on and off the field.

Considering The Dodd Trophy represents more than just a coach’s performance on the field, a coach in his first year, who has not had a full season to establish his own impact on APR and the local community, is not eligible to win.

This year’s finalists represent four different conferences and an independent institution, with coaches from the AAC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC all being recognized.

These coaches have combined for a 55-8 record so far this season and have collectively won 227 games and five conference championships throughout their careers.

The 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank Finalists:

Coach	School	Conference	CFP Ranking:	Record	2023 APR Score:
Shane Beamer	South Carolina	SEC	15	9-3	968
Kenny Dillingham	Arizona State	Big 12	12	11-2	978
Marcus Freeman	Notre Dame	Independent	5	11-1	1000
Dan Lanning	Oregon	Big Ten	1	13-0	927
Jeff Monken	Army	AAC	22	11-2	993

This marks the first time all five coaches have been named Dodd Trophy finalists. Two of the finalists – Dillingham (Big 12) and Monken (AAC) – won their respective conference’s coach of the year awards this season, while Dillingham, Lanning and Monken also won their conference championships earlier this month.

“This year’s finalists truly represent the next generation of coaching greats for our sport considering four of the five selections have been head coaches for less than five years,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “Coach Dodd would have admired how these coaches have been able to establish success within their programs, both on and off the field, particularly so early in many of their head coaching careers.”

“In what has been a season to remember highlighted by the expansion of the College Football Playoff, these five coaches stood out among the rest,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “This year’s finalists have succeeded at the highest level with their student-athletes on the football field, in the classroom and throughout their communities. We’re honored to recognize all that they have accomplished this season and congratulate them for epitomizing everything this award stands for through their unwavering commitment to scholarship, leadership and integrity.”

Finalists were selected by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during bowl week at this year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

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