Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is the winner of the 2021 Broyles Award as the best assistant coach in college football.
Gattis, 37, was presented the award Tuesday during a banquet at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Other finalists for the award were defensive coordinators Dan Lanning of Georgia and Jim Knowles of Oklahoma State, and offensive coordinators Jeff Grimes of Baylor and Warren Ruggiero of Wake Forest.
Broyles Award founder David Bazzel said the vote was the closest in the 26-year history of the award.
Gattis leads an offense that averaged 451.9 yards and 37.7 points per game during a Big Ten championship season. The No. 2 Wolverines (12-1) are scheduled to play Georgia at the Orange Bowl later this month in one of two College Football Playoff semifinal games.
Gattis is in his third season at Michigan and previously helped coordinate offenses at Alabama and Penn State.
The Broyles Award was created in 1996 and named for former Arkansas football coach Frank Broyles, whose vast coaching tree produced several championship head coaches at the professional and college level.
Nineteen past winners of the Broyles Award have gone on to become college head coaches. Notable past winners include Georgia coach Kirby Smart, Southern Cal coach Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi.