Huff Named to Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List
HOUSTON – University of Memphis head football coach Charles Huff was one of 28 head coaches to be named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list, the organization announced Wednesday.
Huff has the Tigers just one game from bowl qualification at 5-2 on the season and has them operating with one of the best offenses in the nation. Nationally, Memphis has the 25th-ranked passing offense (274.9), eighth-ranked rushing offense (236.9) and the sixth-best total offense (511.7) mark while also having the seventh-best red zone defense and having 13 turnovers gained, the 10th-most in college football.
Of the list of 28, Huff is one of six coaches from a group of six program on the watch list, along with being the only coach from the American Conference.
The watch list, finalists and Coach of the Year recipient are voted on by the National Sports Media Association and the Paul “Bear” Braynt Awards Executive Leadership Team, comprised of members of the Bryant Family and community leaders who come together to support the campaign.
In addition to the Coach of the Year, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will present Conference Coach of the Year Awards to each of the Power Four conferences and one from the combined group of programs from the American Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Pac-12 Conference and Sun Belt Conference.
This year’s ceremony will be held on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, in Houston and will air on CBS Sports Network.
UP NEXT
Memphis (5-2, 2-1 American) returns to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Thursday to host East Carolina (3-3, 1-1 American) at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. ESPN’s ‘SportsCenter on Campus’ will be live from Tiger Lane at 4 p.m. leading up to the game.
2026 PAUL “BEAR” BRYANT COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST (Alphabetical)
- David Braun, Northwestern
- Troy Calhoun, Air Force
- Bob Chesney, UCLA
- Curt Cignetti, Indiana
- Mario Cristobal, Miami
- Spencer Danielson, Boise State
- Ryan Day, Ohio State
- Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
- Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
- Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri
- Jason Eck, New Mexico
- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
- Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
- Willie Fritz, Houston
- Pete Golding, Ole Miss
- Josh Heupel, Tennessee
- Charles Huff, Memphis
- Rhett Lashlee, SMU
- Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
- Eric Morris, Oklahoma State
- Billy Napier, James Madison
- Tim Polasek, North Dakota State
- Lincoln Riley, USC
- Steve Sarkisian, Texas
- Morgan Scalley, Utah
- Kalani Sitake, BYU
- Kirby Smart, Georgia
- Will Stein, Kentucky
Thurs. Night: Memphis hosts East Carolina on ESPN2 at 6:30PM
Thurs. Night: Memphis hosts East Carolina on ESPN2 at 6:30PM
