Charlie Strong named finalist for Broyles Award, Tebow finalist for Manning Award
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | Football
University of Florida Defensive Coordinator and Associate Head Coach Charlie Strong was named one of five finalists for the 2008 Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
This is the second time that Strong has been named a finalist for the prestigious award. In 2000, he was nominated while serving as the defensive coordinator at South Carolina.
Strong's defense has been one of the biggest strengths of the Gators all season. They currently rank in the top three in all major defensive categories in the SEC. Nationally, Strong's unit ranks second in passes intercepted (23), second in pass efficiency defense (93.66), fourth in scoring defense (12.3), fifth in red zone defense (.68) and seventh in total defense (275.67). Since 2003 when Strong joined the Florida staff as the defensive coordinator, the Gators have intercepted 108 passes, the third-highest total among teams in that time span.
UF junior quarterback Tim Tebow (Jacksonville, Fla.) was named a finalist for the 2009 Manning Award, announced today by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He was also a finalist last year for the award.
This year's 10 finalists include: Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Chase Daniel (Missouri), Nate Davis (Ball State), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), Brian Johnson (Utah), Colt McCoy (Texas), Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State), Mark Sanchez (USC), Matthew Stafford (Georgia) and Tebow.
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. The winner will be announced following the holiday bowl season. It is the only quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates' bowl performances. Last year's award went to Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who now plays with the Atlanta Falcons.
The 10 finalists all represent teams ranked in the top 20 in the latest BCS Standings. The combined records of these players' teams is an amazing 105-14 (.882) with five of the teams expected to advance to BCS games.
The finalists were determined by a selected panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings.
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