LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The UNLV Rebels head coach, Barry Odom, has emerged as one of 12 finalists for the prestigious Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award — and the first in school history.
The list was unveiled on Tuesday by the Football Writers Association of America and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Now, ballots will be sent out to FWAA members, who will vote to decide a winner.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 20, 2023, and the Allstate Suger Bowl will hold a presentation reception on Jan. 6, 2024, in Houston, where the bust will presented.
Odom was previously named the 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year and also a finalist for the National Coach of the Year by College Football News.
Odom has brought the Rebels to their first appearance in the Mountain West Championship with the team's best season record since 1984. Additionally, UNLV is bowl-eligible for the first time in a decade.
Despite being picked to finish ninth in a preseason poll, the Rebels would go on to share the regular-season league title with San Jose State University and Boise State University at 6-2.
The Rebels would ultimately fall 44-20 against Boise State in the conference title game.
However, the postseason is not over yet for Odom and UNLV, as the team is preparing to face off against Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26, 2023.
