Louisville's Brohm, Indiana's Cignetti named to college football coach of the year watch list

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti were both named to the 26-person 2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List.

The list, released Monday, is a summer look at 26 of the nation's top college football coaches in six conference as well as any independent school. The watch list aims to measure a coach's on-field success as well as Academic Progress Rate, Graduation Success Rate, commitment to charity and service, and more.

"As we enter our 50th anniversary season, we're looking for exceptional candidates to join the storied fraternity of coaching greats who have previously won The Dodd Trophy," Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, said in a news release Monday. "Over the last half century, this award has always stood for more than just wins on the field, but also focuses on how coaches should embody leadership with their student-athletes in the classroom and throughout their communities. Keeping this in mind, we only consider coaches whose programs have earned the highest APRs and require coaches to have at least two years of experience leading their current programs, so that they have had time to establish a precedent at their universities, both on and off the field."

Brohm enters his third season at Louisville with a 19-8 record at his alma mater. Cignetti is preparing for his second season in Bloomington after making history in his inaugural campaign with an 11-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Below is a list of the entire preseason watch list: