SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State defensive coordinator Zac Spavital was announced as one of 51 nominees for the 2022 Broyles Award, which honors the college football's top assistant coaches, as the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation released the full list on Tuesday.
 
In his fourth year at Texas State, Spavital has guided a defensive unit that has improved 56 spots in the national rankings from 2021 to 2022 in total defense. The Bobcat defense has set FBS program records in tackles for loss and nearing the record in sacks and turnovers gained.
 
Texas State enters the penultimate week of the regular season ranked 47th in the country in total defense as well as 16th in turnovers gained, 24th in rush defense, 39th in sacks per game, and 42nd in TFLs per game. The team is also top-30 in the nation in first down defense (27th) and red zone defense (29th).
 
In PFF ratings, Texas State is tied for first in the country with Michigan in overall defense grades while it is first in run defense grades. In pass rush, the Bobcats are third in the nation.
 
Helping power the new-look defense for Spavital and the rest of the coaching staff is a front featuring defensive linemen Levi Bell, Nico Ezidore and Nelson Mbanasor and linebackers London Harris, Jordan Revels and Sione Tupou. Bell, Harris, Mbanasor, Revels and Tupou have all notched career-highs in several categories while Bell has ranked among the Sun Belt's best in tackles by a defensive lineman as well as sacks and TFLs all season.
 
In the secondary, nickelback Jarron Morris has turned in an impressive comeback season with 52 tackles, an interception, and three passes defended after missing nearly all of 2021 due to injury. Cornerback Kordell Rodgers, meanwhile, is tied for 10th in the country in interceptions, and safety Tory Spears is having a breakout season with career-highs in tackles while also adding 1.5 TFLs and an interception returned for a touchdown.
 
From a program perspective, Spavital's defense has 24.0 team sacks, which are third-most in the school's FBS history, and 63.0 TFLs, which are tied for the program's FBS record. In turnovers gained, Texas State has 19 this season, which are tied for the second-most in the program's FBS history. The Bobcat defense has also never finished higher than 53rd in the nation in total defense, which it did in 2018, as an FBS team.
 
Spavital is one of four assistant coaches from the Sun Belt who made this year's nominee list.
 
Spavital and the 50 other nominees in this year's class were selected from approximately 1,500 assistant coaches representing 131 FBS programs across the country. The Broyles Award selection process includes the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), broadcasters, a college football hall-of-fame selection committee, and current college head coaches.
 
A 43-member selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, broadcasters and a committee representing the FWAA will select 15 semifinalists, five finalists from the list of nominees, and an overall winner.
 
The 2021 Broyles Award winner was Josh Gattis, who was the offensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. Gattis is now the offensive coordinator at the University of Miami. Previous winners are not eligible to be nominated for the Broyles Award until the completion of three seasons.
 
Proceeds from the 2022 Broyles Award support the Broyles Foundation's mission to provide a game plan for Alzheimer's caregivers through education, support, and resources. The Broyles Foundation can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
 
Texas State returns to the field this Saturday when it hosts Arkansas State at Bobcat Stadium at 4 p.m.