Notre Dame Football: Kelly Named to Dodd Trophy Watch List
By J.P. Scott
Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly was among 20 coaches to be named to the coaching award watch list.
The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl released the preseason watch list for the 2018 Dodd Trophy on Wednesday. Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly made the prestigious list.
The trophy is meant to celebrate coaching success both on and off the field. The selection process takes into consideration each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity, projected on-field success for the 2018 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR).
It is one of the most coveted coaching awards, based on the fact that it looks beyond wins, losses, rankings and championships. It puts a strong emphasis on the overall impact a coach has on his players, his program, his university and his community.
The list of nominees for 2018 is as follows:
| Coach | School | Conference |
| Paul Chryst | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| James Franklin | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Justin Fuente | Virginia Tech | ACC |
| Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| Jim Harbaugh | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Bryan Harsin | Boise State | Mountain West |
| Clay Helton | USC | Pac-12 |
| Tom Herman | Texas | Big 12 |
| Brian Kelly | Notre Dame | Independent |
| Gus Malzahn | Auburn | SEC |
| Urban Meyer | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Will Muschamp | South Carolina | SEC |
| Gary Patterson | TCU | Big 12 |
| Chris Petersen | Washington | Pac-12 |
| Mark Richt | Miami | ACC |
| Lincoln Riley | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | SEC |
| David Shaw | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | SEC |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | ACC |
The fact that Brian Kelly was even nominated alongside of those 19 other coaches is an honor in itself. It also gives you an idea of what is expected from the Notre Dame football in 2018 team from a national standpoint, as projected performance is a factor.
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Kelly did not make the 2017 Dodd Trophy Watch List, following the 4-8 season the Notre Dame football team posted in 2016.