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HOUSTON – Oregon State football head coach Jonathan Smith has been named to the watch list for the 2023 Paul “Bear” Bryant Award, it was announced on Tuesday.
The honor is given every January to the nation’s top collegiate head coach.
Smith is one of 26 coaches on the initial watch list, from which the National Sports Media Association, the Bryant Awards Executive Team and the Bryant family will select finalists, and eventually the 38th winner of the award.
Smith has the Beavers at 6-1 for the first time since the 2013 season. Oregon State is ranked 12th by the Associated Press and 13th in the US LBM Coaches Poll. It’s the highest ranking for OSU by the AP since 2012 when the Beavers were seventh. It’s also the first time in program history that Oregon State has been ranked in the first eight weeks of the AP poll.
Smith won his 32nd game as Oregon State’s head coach Saturday when the Beavers defeated then-No. 18 UCLA, 36-24, Saturday at Reser Stadium. OSU has won three straight games, including a victory over then-No. 10 Utah, giving the Beavers back-to-back wins against ranked foes for the first time since 2012.
Smith and the Beavers are 23-10 since 2021; he was named the Co-Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2022.
The Beavers next play Saturday, Oct. 28 when visiting Arizona in Tucson. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT and will air live on ESPN.
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