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IU football defensive coordinator Bryant Haines wins Broyles Award, honoring nation’s top assistant coach

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Bryant Haines accepts the Broyles Award.

IU football defensive coordinator Bryant Haines was named the Broyles Award winner for the 2025 college football season on Thursday night in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The award is given each year to the nation’s top assistant coach.

Here’s the release from IU Athletics:

Honoring the nation’s top college football assistant coach, the Broyles Award added Indiana to its impressive list of winners when defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bryant Haines was announced as the winner of the award on Thursday (Feb. 12) evening inside the Grand Ballroom of Oaklawn Resort.

It is the third-straight season that Haines has been in contention for the award, as he was a semifinalist in 2023 before earning finalist honors in 2024. Haines is just the second Hoosier to earn finalist honors, along with Kane Wommack in 2020 and is just the seventh Big Ten assistant to win the award in its 30-year history.

Haines is the first Broyles Award winner to also claim the national title since Joe Brady of LSU in 2019 and is the 10th assistant coach to claim a national title in the same season.

His defense ranked among the top-10 nationally in a bevy of categories: rushing defense (No. 2; 77.2 ypg), scoring defense (No. 2; 11.7 ppg), turnovers gained (No. 3; 30), tackles for loss per game (No. 3; 8.1), total defense (No. 4; 266.0 ypg), interceptions (No. 6; 19) and third down conversion percentage (No. 8; .301). Indiana didn’t allow more than 24 points in a game in 2025 and limited nine of 16 opponents to 10 points or fewer.

The Hoosiers led the nation in points off of turnovers (134) and were the only FBS school with four players to log at least 11.0 tackles for loss on the season. His unit set the program standard with 46.0 sacks and held the opposition under 100 yards rushing in 13 of 16 games. The defense forced a turnover in 14 of 16 games and finished the season with at least one turnover forced in nine straight games.

Along with the statistical accolades, linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds each earned first-team All-America honors. Defensive lineman Stephen Daley, defensive back Louis Moore and defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker each earned All-America honors from various outlets, as well. A program-record seven defensive players earned All-Big Ten honors, as well, with four first-team honorees.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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