The Miami Hurricanes’ Mark Richt lands on a prestigious coach of the year watch list

Mark Richt has led the Miami Hurricanes back into the national college football conversation during his first two seasons at UM.

As he prepares to start Year 3, Richt is already getting some national recognition.

Richt was one of 20 coaches named to the watch list for the Dodd Trophy, given annually to "the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity." Richt was a finalist for the Dodd Trophy last season.

On the field, Richt's teams have been successful since he took over the Hurricanes program before the 2016 season. Miami went 19-7 over the last two years, capped by a 10-3 showing in 2017 that included a trip to the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl.

Off the field, Richt jumpstarted the plan for the Hurricanes' Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility, which is set to be ready for use when the team starts fall camp in August. He also launched the "U Network," which was designed to help former players after their playing days are over.

The Hurricanes open the 2018 season against LSU on Sept. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The other 19 coaches on the watch list include:

Wisconsin's Paul Chryst

Penn State's James Frnaklin

Virginia Tech's Justin Fuente

Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy

Michigan's Jim Harbaugh

Boise State's Bryan Harsin

Southern California's Clay Helton

Texas' Tom Herman

Notre Dame's Brian Kelly

Auburn's Gus Malzahn

Ohio State's Urban Meyer

South Carolina's Will Muschamp

TCU's Gary Patterson

Washington's Chris Petersen

Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley

Alabama's Nick Saban

Stanford's David Shaw

Georgia's Kirby Smart

Clemson's Dabo Swinney

This story was originally published July 11, 2018 at 4:39 PM.