Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was announced as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Trophy on Wednesday.
In his 12th season at Alabama, Saban has led the Crimson Tide to a 13-0 record, its 27th Southeastern Conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. This is the sixth time Alabama has won 13 games under Saban and the fifth consecutive season the Crimson Tide has won at least 12 games, the longest such streak in Football Bowl Subdivision history.
Saban is joined as a finalist for the Robinson Award by Bill Clark (UAB), Josh Heupbel (UCF), Brian Kelly (Notre Dame), Jeff Monken (Army), Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma), Dabo Swinney (Clemson) and Jeff Tedford (Fresno State). Saban previously won the award, which is presented by the Football Writers Association of America, in 2003 and 2008.
Joining Saban as Dodd finalists are Dino Babers (Syracuse), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) and Kirby Smart (Georgia) along with Kelly, Riley and Swinney. Saban was previously honored with the Dodd Award, which is presented by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, in 2014.
The Robinson Award winner will be announced Jan. 5, 2019 in San Jose, California, in conjunction with the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The Dodd Trophy will be announced during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl week in Atlanta later this month.
