DALLAS (FWAA) – One first-time winner and 10 previous ones comprise the 17th Super 11 Awards, presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America to the best performing College Sports Communicators departments in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The awards announced today are for the 2025 season.
The 2025 Super 11 Award is a record 13th for Clemson and its staff led by Ross Taylor, Assistant Athletic Director for Football Communications. Nebraska and its staff led by Keith Mann, Associate Athletic Director for Communications, earned its 12th.
Other awards with their CSC directors and their staffs went to Navy (Scott Strasemeier) for the school's ninth time; Iowa (Matt Weitzel), South Carolina (Steve Fink), Tennessee (Bill Martin) and West Virginia (Mike Montoro) each a fourth time; Texas Tech (Matt Dowdy) a third time and Ohio State (Jerry Emig) and San José State (Sky Kerstein) a second time. The first-time recipient school in the 2025 Super 11 is Kansas (Andrew Eisch). The Super 11 began with the 2009 season.
This year’s winners were deemed to have had excellent accessibility during the week of their games and after the game with a program’s players, coaches and coordinators/assistant coaches. Other criteria regarding beat reporter access, interview requests, and decorum and protocols in the press box and locker room are listed in the FWAA Directory.
"We’re so excited to again honor the best and brightest communication staffs in college football," said 2026 FWAA President Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports. "I’ve been fortunate enough to directly work with many of the staffers on this list and we greatly appreciate their service to our profession. I’d like to give a special recognition to the retiring Jerry Emig at Ohio State, a legend in the industry who has been a wonderful partner to the FWAA over the years. We commend him for his years of service."
The FWAA is also presenting a Super 11 Coach of the Year Award to SMU's Rhett Lashlee. He is the eighth head coach to win this award and it comes during a season when the Mustangs posted another excellent season and won the Holiday Bowl.
One ACC beat writer said of the outspoken Lashlee: "I would vote for SMU, quite frankly. They bend over backward to make folks available and Rhett Lashlee is a dream to deal with, in my estimation." Besides a coach being available, player access, often under the control of the coach, is key for a coach getting this award.
Previous recipients of the Super 11 individual coach award since its inception in the 2018 season have been Herm Edwards (Arizona State), Chris Klieman (Kansas State), Tom Allen (Indiana), Jeff Hafley (Boston College), Sonny Dykes (TCU), Mike Norvell (Florida State) and Ryan Day (Ohio State).
FWAA members provided input during the season when press boxes were judged on how well they were run and maintained in terms of neutrality, pool reporters, noise level and accessibility to the press box that could affect a media person’s ability to do his or her job.
"We once again honor some programs who have provided great assistance to writers for many years and have demonstrated a culture of excellence in what they do in their pressbox and in terms of accessibility to players and coaches," said FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson. "We applaud those programs as well as the newcomer program. These are the best of the best of several communications staff we honor. There are others which are excellent and some on the cusp of making Super 11 next year perhaps. We have a number of hard-working communications staff who make our jobs easier. We appreciate that on an annual basis."
In January of 2009, the FWAA released the first Super 11 Awards – a concept supported by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). The FWAA has now awarded at least one Super 11 Award to 83 different FBS programs.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and game-day operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual FWAA All-America Team. For more information about the FWAA and its program and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
2025 FWAA Super 11 Honorees
(with all-time award count in parenthesis)
Clemson (13)
Iowa (4)
Kansas (1)
Navy (9)
Nebraska (12)
Ohio State (2)
San José State (2)
South Carolina (4)
Tennessee (4)
Texas Tech (3)
West Virginia (4)
2025 Super 11 Coach of the Year
Rhett Lashlee, SMU
ALL-TIME SUPER 11 RECIPIENTS
2009: Buffalo, Clemson, East Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska, Pitt, Rutgers, San José State, Texas, USC, Utah.
2010: Clemson, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Navy, Northwestern, Rutgers, Troy, Tulsa, USC, Utah.
2011: Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, NIU, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Syracuse, USC, Utah State, WKU.
2012: Baylor, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Georgia, Houston, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wyoming.
2013: Colorado, Duke, Fresno State, Georgia, Middle Tennessee, Nebraska, Ole Miss, SMU, South Alabama, Texas Tech, USC.
2014: Auburn, Bowling Green, Colorado, East Carolina, Iowa State, Nebraska, Pitt, Rice, Rutgers, UNLV, USC.
2015: Clemson, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Louisiana, Mississippi State, NIU, Pitt, USC, Utah State, WKU.
2016: Air Force, Arkansas State, Clemson, Colorado, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Navy, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, USC, UTEP.
2017: Clemson, Colorado, Georgia, Houston, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Rice, South Alabama, USC, Wyoming.
2018: Arizona State, Clemson, Colorado, Iowa State, Miami, Mississippi State, Navy, Nebraska, Pitt, UAB, Wisconsin. Coach of the Year: Herm Edwards, Arizona State.
2019: App State, California, Clemson, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Memphis, N.C. State, Navy, San Diego State. Coach of the Year: Chris Klieman, Kansas State.
2020: App State, Boston College, Clemson, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, West Virginia. Coach of the Year: Tom Allen, Indiana.
2021: Clemson; Colorado; Iowa; Kansas State; Louisville; Miami; Ole Miss; Navy; Nebraska; New Mexico; South Carolina. Coach of the Year: Jeff Hafley, Boston College.
2022: BYU, Clemson, Colorado, Kansas State, Navy, Nebraska, Pitt, South Carolina, TCU, UAB, West Virginia. Coach of the Year: Sonny Dykes, TCU.
2023: BYU, California, Clemson, Illinois, Kansas State, Kentucky, LSU, Navy, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh. Coach of the Year: Mike Norvell, Florida State.
2024: Army, California, Clemson, Iowa, Navy, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Tech, West Virginia. Coach of the Year: Ryan Day, Ohio State.
2025: Clemson, Iowa, Kansas, Navy, Nebraska, Ohio State, San José State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Tech, West Virginia. Coach of the Year: Rhett Lashlee, SMU.