Drinkwitz, Klieman, Leipold each make Dodd Trophy Watch List ahead of 2024 season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The college football programs at KU, K-State and Mizzou are in good hands heading into the 2024 season.

On Monday, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation released its preseason watch list for the 2024 Dodd Trophy, given to the most successful coach each season who stresses the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity while also having success on the field.

Mizzou head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, K-State head coach Chris Klieman and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold were included on the list. Each of the three led their respective programs to a bowl win in the 2023 season and at least nine wins.

Mizzou’s 2023 season concluded with a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State, wrapping up an 11-2 season for the Tigers. K-State went 9-4 and won the Pop Tarts Bowl over NC State while Kansas also went 9-4 and beat UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

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“The Dodd Trophy continues to be the most coveted coach of the year award due to what we call the ‘Dodd Difference,’ where coaches are held to a higher standard, both on and off the field,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Boddy Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “This award is about more than just wins on the gridiron, but also focuses on how these coaches embody leadership with their student-athletes in the classroom and throughout their communities.”

Leipold and Klieman ed Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham as the only four coaches from the new Big 12 to be named to the watch list for this season.

The Dodd Trophy also factors in teams’ progress in the classroom thru the academic progress rate (APR) metric. In the last two seasons, Leipold’s Jayhawks and Klieman’s Wildcats had a 1000 APR (tied for best among any nominees with three others), and Drinkwitz’s Tigers had a 997 APR.

A midseason watch list -- which will add to or narrow the field -- will be released in the fall. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.