Mario Cristobal Named to 2025 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List
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Miami Hurricanes football head coach Mario Cristobal has been named to the 2025 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List, the American Heart Association announced Wednesday.
Cristobal is one of 28 college football coaches recognized by the association for their leadership, integrity, and impact on the game. The award, which is now in its 40th year, honors college football’s top head coach for contributions that elevate the sport and embody the values of coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Cristobal has guided the Hurricanes to a 5-0 start, including a 1-0 mark in ACC play and a No. 2 national ranking, the program’s highest since 2017. Miami has already recorded three wins over ranked opponents (Notre Dame, USF and Florida State) with a combined 174-68 point differential in all five of their victories.
The annual honor is presented each January by the American Heart Association, which uses the Bryant Awards to raise awareness and critical funds supporting heart and brain health research. This year’s Coach of the Year will be announced Jan. 21, 2026, during the awards ceremony in Houston, Texas. The event, presented by Memorial Hermann Health System, will air live on CBS Sports Network.
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
The 2025 Watch List includes (in alphabetical order):
Bret Bielema – University of Illinois – Big Ten Conference
Curt Cignetti – Indiana University – Big Ten Conference
Mario Cristobal – University of Miami – Atlantic Coast Conference
Ryan Day – The Ohio State University – Big Ten Conference
Kalen DeBoer – University of Alabama – Southeastern Conference
Eliah Drinkwitz – University of Missouri – Southeastern Conference
Mike Elko – Texas A&M University – Southeastern Conference
Tony Elliott – University of Virginia – Atlantic Coast Conference
Matt Entz – Fresno State – Mountain West Conference
Willie Fritz – University of Houston – Big 12 Conference
Alex Golesh – University of South Florida – American Athletic Conference
Josh Heupel – University of Tennessee – Southeastern Conference
Brian Kelly – LSU – Southeastern Conference
Brent Key –Georgia Tech – Atlantic Coast Conference
Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss – Southeastern Conference
Dan Lanning – University of Oregon – Big Ten Conference
Clark Lea – Vanderbilt University – Southeastern Conference
Joey McGuire – Texas Tech University – Big 12 Conference
Dan Mullen – UNLV – Mountain West Conference
Brian Newberry – Navy – American Athletic Conference
Lincoln Riley – USC – Big Ten Conference
Scott Satterfield – University of Cincinnati – Big 12 Conference
Ryan Silverfield – University of Memphis – American Athletic Conference
Kalani Sitake – BYU – Big 12 Conference
Kirby Smart – University of Georgia – Southeastern Conference
Jon Sumrall – Tulane University – American Athletic Conference
Brent Venables – University of Oklahoma – Southeastern Conference
Kyle Whittingham – University of Utah – Big 12 Conference
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.