For the second consecutive season Illinois Ryan Walters has been nominated for the Broyles Award. The Broyles award is given to the top assistant coach in college football. The Illinois defensive coordinator has made a name for himself under head coach Bret Bielema. The 36-year old coordinator is just the most recent in a long line of Illinois midseason award nominations.
The 2022 Fighting Illini have fielded a top defense this season and the immense success is due to the teachings of their defensive coordinator. Since showing up to campus in 2021, Walters has improved the Illinois defense from 94th in 2020 (34.9ppg) to 3rd in 2022 (12.5ppg). An incredible turnaround considering he has only had one recruiting cycle in Champaign.
Walters’ success has made him a popular candidate for a head coaching position in 2023, specifically at his alma mater University of Colorado. When asked by Jeremy Werner of the Illini Inquirer about a contract extension here’s what he had to say:
Asked #illini DC Ryan Walters about his desire to sign another contract extension with Illinois.
“All those things point to wanting to be here long-term.”
His full answer: pic.twitter.com/mf1qUPdACA
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) November 14, 2022
Here’s to selfishly hoping Bret can retain his stud coordinator.
Origin of the Broyles Award
Founded by David Bazzel in 1996, the Broyles Award, in honor of John Franklin Broyles, is presented to the top assistant coach as part of a two-day event that honors nominees, honored guests, and all previous winners.
The inaugural winner was Mickey Andrews, defensive coordinator, of Florida State. The most recent winner in 2021 was University of Michigan’s Josh Gattis, offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach.
27 winners/finalists of the award are currently head coaches, 43 winners have become head coaches at either the college or NFL level. Four winners have gone on to win the National Championship.
The Semifinalists of the award will be announced on Nov. 22nd and Finalists announced on Nov. 29th.
The winner will be announced on December 6th during the Award Ceremony and Luncheon. Illinois Ryan Walters would be the first finalist in the award’s history, if selected.
The Frank and Barbara Broyles Legacy Foundation
The Foundation was founded in 2005 by John Franklin Broyles in an effort to help those caring for loved ones with Alzheimers. The foundation is now in the hands of his daughter Betsy and granddaughter Molly.
Proceeds from the annual Broyles Award event in December will go directly to the Broyles Foundation. “This organization supports Alzheimer’s caregivers and distributes the Coach Broyles’ Playbook for Alzheimer’s Caregivers, a book based on Coach Broyles’ own experiences as a caregiver for his wife, Barbara.”
“In 2005, Coach Broyles decided he wanted to help caregivers better understand how to care for someone living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.” Since 2005 the Broyles Foundation has distributed over one million copies of “The Playbook”.
For More Great Football Content
Follow us on Twitter at @GridironHeroics for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Football news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
1 Comment
Pingback: College Football Awards: 3 Illini Earn All-American Honors; Shutout In Individual Awards - Gridiron Heroics