PHILADELPHIA – Kennesaw State head football coach
Jerry Mack joined 24 semifinalists for the 2025 George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, it was announced Wednesday. Presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club, finalists will be announced on Dec. 8 with the winner announced on Dec. 30.
The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in the country. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game.
Mack has led one of the best stories in college football in leading the Owls to bowl eligibility in his first season at the helm and Kennesaw State's first full-fledged season of FBS. Mixing the fifth-fewest returners (43) in FBS with a host of newcomers, KSU managed to gel perfectly to become only the ninth program since 1987 to earn bowl eligibility in its second year of reclassification.
Following a 2-10 season a year ago, Kennesaw State is currently sitting at 7-3 with two games to go ahead of bowl season and is still in the race for a chance at the Conference USA Championship Game. They reached their current record by becoming the first team since Washington State in 2016 to win seven-straight contests after starting the season 0-2 – losses to ACC foe Wake Forest (7-3) and currently No. 2-ranked Indiana (11-0).
With Mack at the helm in Year 1, the Owls have roared through Conference USA play, currently at 5-1 and tied for second in the league. In six conference games, KSU has led the league in points allowed (20.8) and ranked third in scoring (31.2). In total, Kennesaw State ranks top 5 in Conference USA in 29 statistical categories and top-50 nationally in 11.
2025 George Munger Award Semifinalists (Listed Alphabetically)
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Kalani Sitake, BYU
Kirby Smart, Georgia
Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Willie Fritz, Houston
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Bob Chesney, James Madison
Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State
Brian Newberry, Navy
Eric Morris, North Texas
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Ryan Day, Ohio State
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Dan Lanning, Oregon
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
Sean Lewis, San Diego State
Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Jon Sumrall, Tulane
Lincoln Riley, USC
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Tony Elliott, Virginia
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
The formal presentation of the George Munger Coach of the Year Award will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Atlanta.
Fans have just
one more opportunity to the see the Owls at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium in the regular season, hosting CUSA newcomer Missouri State on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. Owl Nation can purchase tickets by heading to KSUOwls.com/tickets or by clicking
HERE!
The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
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