Vince Kehres Nominated for Broyles Award Honoring Nation's Top Assistant Coach
11/25/2025 1:28:00 PM | Football
Toledo defensive coordinator leads nation's No. 2 ranked defense
Kehres, who also coaches the linebackers, has engineered one of the most dominant defenses in college football this season. Under his leadership, the Rockets:
- Have held opponents to 14 points or fewer in six games.
- Rank second in the FBS in total defense (240.9 yards per game), trailing only Ohio State (212.6).
- Lead the nation in defensive passing efficiency (94.24).
- Rank third in the nation in first downs allowed (152), fifth in passing yards allowed (148.7), fifth in scoring defense (13.0 points per game), sixth in third-down conversion defense (29.6%), and seventh in rushing defense (92.2 yards per game).
A two-time national champion as head coach at Mount Union before joining Toledo in 2020, Kehres has continued to establish himself as one of the premier defensive minds in college football. Rocket defenders have earned All-MAC honors 31 times since Kehres' arrival, while four were selected in the NFL Draft, including first-round selection Quinyon Mitchell in 2024 and third-round pick Darius Alexaner in 2025. The Rockets have appeared in two MAC Championship Games during Kehres' tenure, winning the 2022 title contest, along with four bowl games.Â
The Selection Process
The Broyles Award selection committee is made of former hall of fame coaches, members of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and legendary broadcasters. The selection committee will vote to advance 15 semifinalists, five finalists, and one overall winner.
New for 2025
For the first time in the 30 year history of the Broyles Award, fans across America will have a direct voice in deciding which assistant coaches advance to the semifinalist round, finalist round, and ultimately who wins the award.
The Broyles Award Fan Vote launches today, Tuesday, November 25th at noon CST. Fans can cast votes for their favorite nominees throughout each stage of the competition. Each individual fan vote counts toward one collective "fan vote" in the official selection process of each round. Each vote is also an entry to win two VIP passes to the 30th Annual Broyles Award Ceremony.
Fan Voting Schedule
Semifinal Fan Vote: November 25 at noon CST through November 30 at 11 PM CST Finalist Fan Vote: December 2 at noon CST through December 7 at 11 PM CST
Winner Fan Vote: January 20 at noon CST through January 26 at 11 PM CST
Fans can vote at BroylesAward.com/Vote
