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On Tuesday, Dec. 6, Troy University head football coach Jon Sumrall was named as one of eight finalists for the 2022 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award.

The award is presented annually to the country’s top head coach and is presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the AllState Sugar Bowl. The award is named in honor of legendary Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson, who coached Grambling to nine HBCU National Titles, 17 conference titles, won more than 400 games and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Sumrall is a finalist for the award alongside TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Duke’s Mike Elko, Tulane’s Willie Fritz, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, USC’s Lincoln Riley, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor.

Sumrall is in his first year as a head coach at Troy and has guided the Trojans to an 11-2 record, a No. 24 ranking and the school’s first Sun Belt Championship since 2017. He was also named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year last week. Sumrall’s Trojans will face off against UTSA in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 16, which is led by fellow Coach of the Year finalist Jeff Traylor.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 20 and the award will be presented at a banquet in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 7.