ESPN: Iowas head coach felt his g……..

AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year Phil Parker

ESPN: Iowas head coach felt his g……..

Peers Honor Iowa’s Defensive Coordinator

IOWA CITY, Iowa: The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has selected Phil Parker, the defensive coordinator and secondary coach of the University of Iowa, as the 2023 Assistant FBS Coach of the Year. The AFCA made the statement on Friday.

Out of 98 nominees, Parker was chosen by the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year Committee. The Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation gave Parker the Broyles Award earlier this month. Every year, the best college football assistant coach receives the Broyles Award.

The Assistant Coach of the Year award was instituted in 1997 with the aim of recognizing assistant coaches who demonstrate exceptional performance in on-field coaching, community service, dedication to student-athletes, and involvement in AFCA professional organizations.

Parker is the third Hawkeye assistant coach to win the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year award, following Norm Parker (2013) and Ron Aiken (2002).

Parker has been the mastermind behind one of the best defenses in the country in 2023. He is currently in his 25th season as a member of Iowa’s coaching staff, 12 of those as defensive coordinator. With just 15 touchdowns surrendered in 13 games—tied for the third fewest in the NCAA—the Hawkeyes’ defense ranks fourth in the nation against opponents who allow 13.2 points per contest.

The Hawkeye defense’s point per game average is at its lowest level since 2008.

In 10 of their 13 games this season, the Hawkeyes have allowed one touchdown or less, and for the sixth consecutive year, they are rated fifth in the nation in total defense (274.8). Since the 2021 season, Iowa’s defense has given up 400 yards or less in 27 straight games, which is the longest current stretch in the country.

Parker’s fundamental tenet is the restriction of “explosive” plays. The Hawkeyes have only given up 18 of these plays in 13 games this 2023 season.

All defensive metrics put Iowa in the top 20 nationally this season include fifth-place team passing efficiency defense (100.46), 12th-place red zone defense (.750), 13th-place rushing defense (102.5), 16th-place first downs defense (205), and 19th-place third-down conversion defense (.316).

Three defensive players—LB Jay Higgins, DB Sebastian Castro, and DB Cooper DeJean—were selected to the All-America team when Parker was their coach. DeJean was a nominee for the Thorpe Award and the Nagurski Award and is a unanimous choice All-American. Castro is a third-team All-American, and Higgins is a second-team All-American who was a Butkus Award semifinalist.

Under Parker’s direction, DeJean became the sixth Hawkeye to be selected as the conference’s best defensive back when he was awarded the 2023 Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year.

In the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on January 1, 2024, the No. 17 Hawkeyes will take on the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers. The game is scheduled to begin at 12:06 (CT) and will be broadcast on ABC.

Iowa Post-Season National Awards 2023Sebastian Castro is ranked first on the All-America Pro Football Focus squad and third on the Associated Press team.

Walter Camp, FWAA, Associated Press, Sporting News, The Athletic, Sports Illustrated, and CBS (first-team All-America) are all sources shared by COOPER DEJEAN.

JAY HIGGINS: Associated Press, Walter Camp, Sporting News, CBS (second-team All-America); Sports Illustrated (first-team All-America); FWAAPHIL PARKER: AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year (FBS), Broyles Award

Terry Taylor: Ray Guy Punter of the Year Award; Walter Camp, FWAA, Associated Press, Sporting News, The Athletic, CBS, Pro Football Focus, Sports Illustrated (first-team All-America);