BYU assistant coach Aaron Roderick has earned recognition for the breakout season of junior Cougar quarterback Zach Wilson, who led the team’s 2020 campaign that ended with an 11-1 record and No. 11 finish in the Associated Press poll.
On Tuesday, Roderick was named FootballScoop’s Quarterbacks Coach of the Year, earning the national honor over four other finalists that included two others with Utah ties.
Former Alabama offensive coordinator/QB coach Steve Sarkisian, who was hired as Texas’ new coach and was a quarterback at BYU in the mid-1990s, was also a finalist for the award. So, too, was Florida’s Brian Johnson, the former University of Utah quarterback who recently was hired as QB coach with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The other two finalists were Western Michigan’s Eric Evans and Coastal Carolina’s Willy Korn.
Roderick helped Wilson turn in one of the most impressive campaigns by a BYU quarterback in school history this past season. Wilson completed 73.5% of his passes in 2020, a single-season BYU record, and a nearly 10% jump from his career mark. The quarterback also threw for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 254 yards and 10 scores.
Wilson, who finished No. 8 in the Heisman Trophy voting, also had a 196.43 efficiency rating in 2020, second only to Alabama’s Mac Jones. Wilson is now seen as a potential top 5 pick in this year’s NFL draft and an expected first-round selection.
Roderick joined Kalani Sitake’s staff in 2018 and became the team’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator on Jan. 4. Roderick replaces Jeff Grimes, who left to take the same position at Baylor.
The FootballScoop QB Coach of the Year has been awarded since 2008, and in 2014, Utah State’s Kevin McGiven won the honor.