Army West Point Black Knights Coach Nate Woody Broyles Award Semifinalist

Army West Point Black Knights defensive coordinator Nate Woody remains among the candidate for the top award given to assistant coaches.

Sep 26, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Army Black Knights defensive coordinator Nate Woody watches his players warm up before the first half against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Army West Point Black Knights defensive coordinator Nate Woody was one of 15 FBS assistant coaches named semifinalists for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach.

Woody was one of 65 nominees for the award, with that list released last week. Those nominees were selected from the approximately 1,500 assistant coaches in FBS.

Woody has been the defensive coordinator at Army for the past five seasons and has been a key part of the program’s success in 2024.

The Black Knights (10-1, 8-0 in American) are preparing to host the Tulane Green Wave in the American Athletic Conference title game on Friday night at Michie Stadium.

Entering Saturday’s game with UTSA the Black Knights are one of the best teams in the country in red zone defense and in scoring defense. Army has given up fewer than seven points in four contests.

Army also went an eight-quarter stretch without allowing a touchdown, the first time the program did so since 1984.

The 33-year coaching veteran has been a defensive coordinator for 22 years. Before Army, he was a defensive analyst at Michigan (2019), defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Georgia Tech (2018), defensive coordinator at Appalachian State (2013-17) and defensive coordinator at Wofford (2000-12).

Army joined the AAC this year as an affiliate member, ending a longstanding stretch of being an independent program, with the exception of seven years in Conference USA.

While in C-USA, the Black Knights never won more than two games.

Army has already won 10 games for just the fourth time in program history and for the first time since 2018. The Black Knights have never won 12 games in a single season, but that also remains on the table, as they have three games remaining — against Tulane on Friday, the annual rivalry game with Navy and a bowl game.  

The Broyles Award is named for former Arkansas head football coach and athletic director Frank Broyles, who was renowned for his ability to identify and developing great assistants. His assistants included Joe Gibbs, Raymond Berry, Johnny Majors, Doug Dickey, Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, Hayden Fry and Jackie Sherrill.

A selection committee of former head coaches, broadcasters and a committee representing the Football Writers Association of America will five finalists from the list of nominees and an overall winner. The list of finalists will be announced at a later date.