Clemson's Dabo Swinney Winner of The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award

The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award will be presented to Clemson's Dabo Swinney as a part of The Home Depot 25th Anniversary COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN. Swinney led the Tigers (13-0, 8-0 ACC) to an undefeated regular season, the Atlantic Coast Conference title and the No. 1 SEED in the COLLEGE FOOTBALL Playoff. In addition, The John Mackey Award will also recognize Hunter Henry of Arkansas as outstanding tight end during The Red Carpet Special at The Home Depot COLLEGE FOOTBALL Awards.

With Swinney at the helm, the Tigers defeated three top-25 teams in the Associated Press poll (No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 17 Florida State and No. 8 North Carolina) and earned six straight No. 1 rankings by the COLLEGE FOOTBALL Playoff. Under Swinney, Clemson posted nine straight games with at least 500 yards of total offense. He has led the Tigers to the longest active winning streak in the nation (16 games), dating back to last season. The No. 1 Clemson Tigers will face No. 4 Oklahoma in a COLLEGE FOOTBALL Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, 2015 at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

Henry, a junior from the University of Arkansas, has been named the country's outstanding tight end by the Friends of John Mackey, becoming the second winner from Arkansas. Arkansas now becomes the only school in the 16 year history of the John Mackey Award to have multiple award winners, as D.J. Williams won in 2010. Henry will be presented with The John Mackey Award during The Red Carpet Special at The Home Depot COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.

This season, Henry recorded 46 receptions for 647 yards and three touchdowns and led all SEC Tight Ends in receptions, receiving yards and first downs. He has not dropped a pass through 13 games, dating back to last year's bowl win over Texas. His outstanding blocking has been on display all season as Henry hasn't allowed a sack or even a quarterback hurry this year. Hunter and the Razorbacks will face Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, 2016 on ESPN.

The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey.

The Rimington Trophy (outstanding center) and the Wuerffel Trophy (community service) will also be presented during The Red Carpet Special at The Home Depot COLLEGE FOOTBALL Awards. Jack Allen (Michigan St., Sr.), Austin Blythe (Iowa, Sr.) and Ryan Kelly (Alabama, Sr.) are finalists for the Rimington Trophy; and Ty Darlington (Oklahoma, Sr.), Landon Foster (Kentucky, Sr.) and Nate Sudfeld (Indiana, Sr.) are finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy.

The 25th annual awards show will feature with the live presentation of:

Nine National COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS Association (NCFAA) player awards
The NCFAA Contributions to COLLEGE FOOTBALL Award to Barry Switzer
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award to Dabo Swinney
The Disney Spirit Award to Hank Goff
The National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy
Student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team and The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®

A live Twitter vote will allow fans to determine the COLLEGE FOOTBALL Play of the Year. The four top plays to pick from at ESPN.com include Miami's unbelievable finish vs. Duke, Stanford wide receiver Francis Owuwu's jaw-dropping catch, Georgia Tech's wild finish vs. Florida State and Michigan State's miracle in the Big House. Viewers can vote during the show by tweeting using #PlayOfTheYear and the school name.

Need more TV Theatre News in your life? Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...