Indiana's Bryant Haines Named Broyles Award Winner as Best Assistant Coach in CFB

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines was the recipient of the Broyles Award for the 2025 season, the school announced Thursday.

The Broyles Award is annually presented to college football's top assistant coach.

The Hoosiers' dominance on defense was a major reason for their undefeated 2025 campaign and national championship victory, ranking No. 2 in the country by allowing a mere 11.7 points per game.

They also gave up just 266.0 total yards per game, the fourth-best mark in the nation.

Indiana boasted an imposing pass rush under Haines, with five different players recording at least five sacks. The Hoosiers also amassed 45 sacks as a team, tied for the second-highest total among all schools.

They remained effective against top-ranked opponents, allowing just 10 points to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game before giving up 15.3 points per game across three College Football Playoff contests.

Indiana has been well aware of Haines' impact, with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reporting that the school handed him a three-year contract that made him "one of the nation's highest-paid assistants" in Dec. 2025.

Haines has been calling plays on defense under head coach Curt Cignetti since the pair were previously at James Madison in 2022.

Now, he's the first Hoosier coach to earn Broyles Award recognition.