• Complete Eddie Robinson Award Release

Tennessee Tech head coach Bobby Wilder is one of 15 finalists nationally for the 2025 Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented annually by Stats Perform to the national coach of the year in Division I FCS college football.

The award, first presented in 1987 and in its 39th season, is named for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson. Three former OVC coaches have taken home the award: Murray State's Houston Nutt (1995), Southeast Missouri's Tony Samuel (2010) and Austin Peay's Will Healey (2017).

In his second season at Tennessee Tech, Wilder guided the Golden Eagles to its first-ever 11-win season, its second-straight OVC-Big South Football Association Championship (with a perfect 8-0 league mark) and its first outright Conference Title in 50 years. TTU started the season 10-0 for the first time in program history and suffered only one loss, at FBS foe Kentucky. The Golden Eagles have won 15-straight games against FCS competition dating back to last season and earned the No. 13 seed for the 2025 FCS Playoffs, only the second FCS playoff berth in program history.  The team also earned its highest Top 25 ranking in school history (No. 5).

During the regular season Tennessee Tech ranked first nationally in defensive touchdowns (5), second in rushing defense (76.1 yards/game), team sacks (3.75/game) and team tackles for loss (8.6/game), fifth in scoring offense (40.2 points/game), seventh in total defense (292.6 yards/game) and 11th in scoring defense (17.7 points/game).

All 13 FCS leagues are represented by an Eddie Robinson Award finalist.

The winner, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced on December 4 and honored at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on January 3 in Nashville, Tennessee. Also this season, the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year), Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS Freshman Player of the Year), HBCU Player of the Year and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be presented.

2025 Eddie Robinson Award Finalists
Andrew Aurich, Harvard (Ivy League)
Travis Bush, UT Rio Grande Valley (Southland Conference)
Kevin Cahill, Lehigh (Patriot League)
Colby Carthel, Stephen F. Austin (Southland Conference)
Steve Englehart, Presbyterian (Pioneer Football League)
Jim Fleming, Rhode Island (CAA Football)
Bobby Hauck, Montana (Big Sky Conference)
DeSean Jackson, Delaware State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
Tremaine Jackson, Prairie View A&M (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Mike Jacobs, Mercer (Southern Conference)
Adam Lechtenberg, Central Connecticut State (NEC Football)
Tim Polasek, North Dakota State (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
Joel Taylor, West Georgia (United Athletic Conference)
Todd Whitten, Tarleton State (United Athletic Conference)
Bobby Wilder, Tennessee Tech (OVC-Big South Football Association)