It took one season for Mississippi State University’s defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, native of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, to be named a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award. The award is given to the best assistant coach in college football.
Shoop expressed his appreciation for having the opportunity to work at MSU, as well as being named a finalist.
“I am very appreciative of the opportunity that head coach Joe Moorhead, Director of Athletics John Cohen and Mississippi State have given me,” Shoop said. “I also want to thank the Frank and Barbara Broyles Foundation for being part of such a prestigious honor. Coach (Joe) Moorhead has created an amazing culture here at Mississippi State.”
Shoop recognized players and staff who helped foster one of the strongest defenses in the country. The defense only gave up 12 touchdowns all season, the best statistic in college football.
“It is a privilege to work with such a tremendous staff and great players,” Shoop said. “Anytime you are a coach of the year finalist, it’s a direct reflection of the staff and players coming together for a common goal. The players in that locker room bought in to our vision. It’s truly a team effort, and I am very thankful to be a part of the Mississippi State family.”
One of those great players is Jeffery Simmons, a junior defensive lineman from Macon, who contributed to the team’s success with 59 tackles this season. Simmons won the 23rd Annual C Spire Conerly Trophy for being the best college football player in the state of Mississippi.
Simmons becomes the seventh Bulldog to have won the award since it began in 1996. Simmons is also the first Bulldog to win the award since Dak Prescott won it in 2014 and 2015.
Another first for MSU is that Shoop is the first coach at MSU to be named a finalist for the Frank Broyles award since 1999, when defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Lee Dunn was named a finalist. Head coach Joe Moorhead said Shoop is very deserving of this honor.
“I am proud of Bob, our staff and our players for finishing the regular season as the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense,” Moorhead said. “That is a product of hard work, attention to detail and selflessness. Bob is as outstanding a person as he is a coach. He is as deserving as any coach for the Broyles Award, and we are glad he is a part of the Bulldog family.”
Shoop has been a key part in the first-year success of Moorhead’s team, as his defense has achieved a lot of bests. One of the stats that stands out is the fact the team has not given up a single rushing touchdown on Scott Field this season. Additionally, they have only given up five passing touchdowns all year, the best in the SEC and FBS.
The other finalists for the award are Michael Locksley, offensive coordinator at Alabama, Jay Bateman, defensive coordinator at West Point, Jeff Scott, co-offensive coordinator/WRs at Clemson, and Chip Long, offensive coordinator at Notre Dame. The winner will be announced at the Marriott Hotel in Little Rock on Dec. 4.
Frank Broyles, who the award is named after, was a head coach at the University of Arkansas for 18 years, and later athletic director for the Razorbacks until he retired after 33 years of serving in that role. He passed away in August of 2017, but his legacy still lives on with the award.
