HOUSTON - Fresno State football head coach Matt Entz has been added to the watch list for the 2025 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, announced by the organization on Wednesday.
Entz is one of 28 college football coaches on the watch list, and one of two from the Mountain West. The award is given each January to a college football 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.
The Bulldog head coach has led Fresno State to a 5-2 record to begin the year. Entz's five wins in the first six games of the season ties the second-best start to a career by a first-year Bulldog head coach. It has been the best start to a coaching career since 1966.
Entz is one of six first-year head coaches around the FBS to have winning records at this point in the season.
Entz was hired as Fresno State's head coach in December 2024. He joined the staff from USC where he was the linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense. Prior to his time in Los Angeles, he was a National Championship winning head coach at North Dakota State from 2019-23.
He has an overall head coaching record of 65-13, including his 5-2 start to the 2025 season.
The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, presents the Bear Bryant Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor coach Bryant's legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for its mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
Now in its 40th year, the Coach of the Year award winner will be presented Wednesday, January 21, 2026 during the Association's annual Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Awards ceremony, in Houston, Texas. The ceremony, presented by Memorial Hermann Health System, will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.