BYU, Utah, USU Coaches Named Finalists For Eddie Robinson Award
Dec 7, 2021, 12:15 PM | Updated: 12:15 pm
The College Football Playoff will have an impact on BYU, Utah, and Utah State. (Courtesy of Getty Images)
(Courtesy of Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – All three of the FBS head coaches here in Utah are up for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.
The Eddie Robinson Award is given to the top coach in college football by the Football Writers Association of America.
BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, and Utah State’s Blake Anderson all appeared on this year’s list of 13 finalists.
The 2021 award recipient will be announced on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, with the official presentation at a reception on January 8, 2022, in Indianapolis prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Coach Sitake named finalist for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year 🤙 pic.twitter.com/sxlNhuCNik
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 7, 2021
Kalani Sitake led BYU to a 10-2 regular season and is one of three coaches to be a repeat finalist from 2020. The 2021 BYU squad was a perfect 5-0 against Pac-12 teams this season, including a win over Pac-12 Champion Utah back on September 11. BYU finished ranked No. 13 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
Coach Whitt is one of 13 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.
Read: https://t.co/lNNtTkGpCc pic.twitter.com/HbmlW1EjiH
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 7, 2021
Kyle Whittingham guided Utah to its first-ever Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl appearance in the most challenging year of his coaching career after the tragic deaths of Utah players Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. After starting the season 1-2, Whittingham’s Utes won 9 of their final 10 games. This is the second time in Whittingham’s career that he’s been a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. The other season was in 2008 when the Utes put together a perfect Sugar Bowl-winning campaign.
That's OUR guy!
Congrats to @CHbanderson on being a named a finalist for the 2021 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award!
➡️ https://t.co/l8TuHi13XR#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/uxsSwu7zfg
— USU Football (@USUFootball) December 7, 2021
Expectations were low for Blake Anderson in his first year at Utah State. But the successful head coach from Arkansas State blew everyone’s thoughts on the 2021 Aggies out of the water with a 10-3 record and a Mountain West Conference championship. Anderson is a first-time finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
