Four Pac-12 head coaches are on the watch list for the American Heart Association’s 2022 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award.

The midseason watch list for the award was announced earlier this week. It is given each January to the country’s top college football head coach for contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by “demonstrating grit, integrity, and a winning approach to coaching and life – both on and off the field.”

UCLA’s Chip Kelly, USC’s Lincoln Riley, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, and Oregon’s Dan Lanning all found their names on the list. The Big 12 and the SEC each had five coaches on the watch list. The ACC had four. The Big Ten had three.

Kelly has the Bruins sitting at 6-0 and ranked ninth in the country. They have a top-10 matchup with Lanning’s Oregon Ducks (5-1) Saturday afternoon.

USC is 6-1 to open Riley’s first year in Los Angeles. The Trojans went 4-8 last season. In starting 6-0, Riley became the first USC coach to do so in his first season in 70 years.

Whittingham has Utah at 5-2 during its bye week. The Utes just beat USC last Saturday in what was the game of the year in the Pac-12 so far. One of the longest-tenured coaches in college football, Whittingham has been the model of consistency in Salt Lake City. With a win over Washington State next Thursday, Utah would ensure nine straight seasons without a losing record in the regular season.

The American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives for all, and the Bryant family present this award annually to celebrate Bear Bryant’s legacy and raise awareness and critical funds for scientific research to eliminate needless suffering and death from cardiovascular disease and stroke, the leading causes of death globally. The football coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983.

The full watch list can be found below:

  • Dino Babers, Syracuse
  • Mack Brown, North Carolina
  • Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
  • Dabo Swinney, Clemson
  • Bret Bielema, Illinois
  • Ryan Day, Ohio State
  • Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
  • Sonny Dykes, TCU
  • Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
  • Chris Klieman, Kansas State
  • Lance Leipold, Kansas
  • Steve Sarkisian, Texas
  • Chip Kelly, UCLA
  • Dan Lanning, Oregon
  • Lincoln Riley, USC
  • Kyle Whittingham, Utah
  • Josh Heupel, Tennessee
  • Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
  • Nick Saban, Alabama
  • Kirby Smart, Georgia
  • Mark Stoops, Kentucky
  • Willie Fritz, Tulane
  • Gus Malzahn, UCF
  • Jeff Traylor, UTSA
  • Kane Wommack, South Alabama