SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor was named one of 16 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, it was announced today. The award is presented annually by Stats Perform to the FCS National Coach of the Year.

Taylor, who earned the award in 2019 and was a finalist in 2021, guided the Hornets to an 11-0 overall record in the regular season for the first time in school history. Sacramento State claimed its third Big Sky title in as many seasons played with a perfect 8-0 record. The Hornets have now won 19 consecutive league games which is the second longest streak in Big Sky history. The team was seeded second in the upcoming NCAA FCS Playoffs and will host the winner of Davidson-Richmond on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Hornet Stadium.

The other finalists for this year's award are: Glenn Caruso (St. Thomas), Bob Chesney (Holy Cross), Chris Hatcher (Samford), G.J. Kinne (UIW), Tre Lamb (Gardner-Webb), Mike London (William & Mary), Tom Matukewicz (Southeast Missouri), Tre Oliver (North Carolina Central), Keith Patterson (Abilene Christian) Ray Priore (Penn), Rich Rodriguez (Jacksonville State), Deion Sanders (Jackson State), John Stiegelmeier (South Dakota State), Brent Vigen (Montana State), Chris Villarria (Saint Francis).

The Eddie Robinson Award is named after the former Grambling State head coach. The award was first presented in 1987 and is voted upon by a national panel of media. The winner will be announced on Dec. 8 and the award will be presented at the FCS National Awards banquet in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 7.