PROVO, Utah — FootballScoop today named BYU’s Aaron Roderick the 2020 Quarterbacks Coach of the Year, as determined by prior winners of the annual national award.
Roderick was selected for the 2020 honor among five finalists, which included Steve Sarkisian (Alabama), Willy Korn (Coastal Carolina), Brian Johnson (Florida) and Eric Evans (Western Michigan). The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards, presented by AstroTurf, are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football.
Previous winners of the Quarterbacks Coach of the Year award include Josh Heupel (Oklahoma, 2008), Tom Rossley (Texas A&M, 2009), Mark Helfrich (Oregon, 2010 and 2012), Philip Montgomery (Baylor, 2011), Randy Sanders (Florida State, 2013), Kevin McGiven (Utah State, 2014), Mike Sanford (Notre Dame, 2015), Tyson Helton (USC, 2016), Jim Chaney (Georgia, 2017), Tom Rees (Notre Dame, 2018), and Steve Ensminger (LSU, 2019).
Roderick, who was named BYU’s offensive coordinator on Jan. 4, tutored All-American Zach Wilson in 2020 to one of the top seasons in BYU’s storied history of elite quarterback play. Wilson led BYU to an 11-1 record while earning All-America honors and finishing No. 8 in the Heisman Trophy voting. The 2020 Polynesian Co-Player of the Year and Manning Award finalist threw for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns with only three interceptions on the season. Wilson was the only player in the country to total 33 or more touchdowns and less than five picks. He also rushed for 255 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Under Roderick’s tutelage, Wilson posted 11 different top-10 rankings in 2020. BYU's star signal caller ranked No. 2 nationally in points responsible for (264), passing efficiency (196.4) and completion percentage (73.5); No. 3 in passing yards (3,692), passing touchdowns (33), yards per pass attempt (10.99) and points responsible for per game (22.0); No. 4 in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (10); No. 5 in passing yards per completion (14.95); No. 8 in total offense (328.8); and No. 10 in passing yards per game (307.7).
In 2020, Wilson broke a BYU single-season record, previously held by Steve Young (.713, in 1983), with his .735 completion percentage, which was nearly 10 full points over his career mark. With Roderick’s aggressive approach, Wilson did not achieve his high accuracy by avoiding taking shots downfield, as BYU finished the year ranked No. 3 in passing plays over 10 yards and No. 4 in passing plays over 30 yards. While his yards per throw increased by 47 percent over his career average, Wilson’s 196.43 efficiency rating trailed only Alabama’s Mac Jones and would have set an FBS record as recently as 2016.
During the season, Wilson led BYU to its first win at Boise State by hitting on 22-of-28 throws for 360 yards (12.9 yards per attempt) with three touchdowns and no picks in a 51-17 blowout, and he closed the year by dropping 425 yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts in a dominating 49-23 victory over UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl. Wilson, who declared for the NFL Draft following the season, helped BYU finish the year at No. 11 in the final polls, the program’s highest year-end ranking since 1996 when Roderick was a receiver for the Cougars.
As BYU’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach the past three seasons, Roderick has not only mentored Wilson but also developed a room of other outstanding quarterbacks while playing a significant role in the progress and overall success of the offense each season. A native of Bountiful, Utah, Roderick begins his role in 2021 as BYU’s new offensive coordinator with 21 years of coaching experience, including 10 seasons as a coordinator.
Roderick named national QB Coach of the Year
