Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is the f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ third* three-time finalist for the Broyles Award, which since 1996 has been presented annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
Venables was announced Monday as a finalist for the 2016 Broyles Award along with three other defensive coordinators -- Alabama's Jeremy Pruitt, Michigan's Don Brown and Colorado's Jim Leavitt -- and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
The Broyles Award is named in honor of Frank Broyles, the former Arkansas coach and athletic director.
Broyles developed a reputation for producing assistants who became top head coaches in the college and NFL ranks, including Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Gibbs, Johnny Majors and Hayden Fry.
The Broyles Award winner will be announced Dec. 6 at the luncheon in Little Rock at the Marriott Hotel.
Venables, who hasn't won the Broyles Award, previously was a finalist in 2006 when he was Oklahoma's defensive coordinator and last year with Clemson.
Clemson (11-1) ranks eighth nationally in total defense (307.9 yards per game) and scoring defense (17.0 points) and will play Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game Saturday night.
Pruitt also was a Broyles Award finalist in 2013 when he was Florida State's defensive coordinator. He's the fifth Alabama assistant to be a finalist along with Joe Kines, Sal Sunseri, Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart.
Pruitt left Georgia for Alabama this season after Smart -- the 2009 winner as the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator -- became Georgia's coach.
The No. 1-ranked Tide (12-0) rank No. 1 nationally in total defense (246.8 yards) and scoring defense (11.4 points) going into Saturday's SEC Championship Game against Florida.
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Michigan (10-2) is No. 2 nationally in total defense (252.7 yards) and scoring defense (12.5 points) in Brown's first season with the Wolverines.
Jim Leavitt, a former head coach at South Florida, has helped Colorado improve from 4-9 last season to 10-2 this season.
The Buffaloes, who won the Pac 12 South title and play Washington Saturday for the conference championship, rank 13th nationally in total defense (323.8 yards) and scoring defense (18.8 points).
Canada was Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema's offensive coordinator at Wisconsin in 2012 before holding the same position at North Carolina State from 2013-2015.
This season Canada replaced another former Bielema assistant -- Jim Chaney -- as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator.
Canada has helped the Panthers to an 8-4 record, including a 43-42 victory at Clemson Nov. 13 that ended the Tigers' 21-game home winning streak.
Pittsburgh beat Syracuse 76-61 last Saturday with the Panthers gaining 644 yards. The Panthers rank 44th nationally in total offense (447.5 yards), but 10th in scoring offense (42.3 points).
Sports on 11/29/2016
*CORRECTION: Dick Bumpas and Charlie Strong each were three-time finalists for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. This article incorrectly stated that Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables was the first three-time finalist.