It's awards time, people! Which means you get to vote on your favorite coaches over the next few days. This week we're letting you choose the FCS Coach of the Year. Scroll through the list and cast your vote below.
Vote up to once per day until the poll closes Friday at noon Pacific. Oh, and if I missed anyone, hit me up on Twitter @BrianMacWriter.
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Jamey Chadwell – Charleston Southern
Another season, another Big South Championship and FCS Playoff spot for a program no one thought would ever get there. Chadwell's Bucs took North Dakota State to overtime and faced all kinds of off-the-field challenges and still managed to win a conference title.[divider]
Andy Coen – Lehigh
In an evenly balanced Patriot League, Coen's Mountain Hawks knocked the league off balance by dominating its opponents on the way to a conference title and an FCS playoff berth.[divider]
Broderick Fobbs – Grambling
Fobbs led the top HBCU program this year, winning the relatively new Celebration Bowl — pitting the SWAC champion against the MEAC champion (North Carolina Central). Early in the year, his program nearly knocked off Arizona.[divider]
John Grass – Jacksonville State
The Ohio Valley Conference was no match for the Gamecocks once again as Grass led his program to a No. 3 seed in the FCS playoffs. Once again, he guided a powerhouse.[divider]
Mike Houston – James Madison
In his first season coaching the Dukes, Houston skipped the transition phase and went right into dominance — leading James Madison into next week's national championship game, while also upending the five-time defending national champion North Dakota State Bison in the daunting FargoDome.[divider]
K.C. Keeler – Sam Houston State
Keeler led his BearKats to an undefeated regular season, a Southland Conference title and to one of the biggest offensive explosions in FCS history. His team received a first-round FCS Playoff bye and knocked off a strong Chattanooga team before falling to James Madison.[divider]
Dale Lindsey, San Diego
One of the biggest stories of the FCS Playoffs came when Lindsey's San Diego team knocked off Big Sky participant Cal Poly in the first round of the FCS Playoffs — a team he'd lost to earlier in the year by 20 points.[divider]
Jerry Mack – North Carolina Central
Mack led his program to a MEAC Championship by knocking off rival North Carolina A&T, while also participating in the second annual Celebration Bowl.[divider]
Bo Pelini – Youngstown State
Pelini, in only his second year, made an offensive adjustment later in the year and the Penguins flourished — and find themselves in the national title game with 12 wins.[divider]
Bubba Schweigert – North Dakota
The Fighting Hawks had the best Big Sky Conference defense and shared the title with Eastern Washington. This is certainly a program on the rise.[divider]
Bob Surace – Princeton
Surace led Princeton to a tie for the Ivy League championship, as the Tigers and Penn both went 6-1 in league play. His team's only losses were to Patriot League champion Lehigh and to Harvard in overtime.[divider]
Brent Thompson – The Citadel
Thompson picked up right where Mike Houston left off when he headed to James Madison — he led the Bulldogs to another FCS Playoff berth while also capturing the Southern Conference title with a 10-1 overall record in the regular season (only loss was to North Carolina).[divider]
Chris Villarrial – Saint Francis
Villarrial, a former NFL star, led Saint Francis to its best season ever and a Northeast Conference championship. His team also made its first-ever trip to the FCS Playoffs, and has a legitimate NFL prospect in Lorenzo Jerome.[divider] Who should be the FCS Coach of the Year?
