Ryan Day, Luke Fickell in consideration for national coach of the year award

“Each of these coaches showed unwavering commitment to the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, despite all of the obstacles and challenges they had to overcome this past year in the face of the pandemic,” award foundation chairman Jim Terry said in a release.

Fickell is one of four coaches on the watch list who were finalists last year, joining Indiana’s Tom Allen, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Brian Kelly of Notre Dame.

Also on the 201 watch list are North Carolina’s Mack Brown, Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher, Penn State’s James Franklin, Washington’s Jimmy Lake, Florida’s Dan Mullen, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern won the award last year.