Hot Springs, Ark. (Broyles Foundation/SMU) – SMU Defensive Coordinator Scott Symons was named to the prestigious Broyles Award 2024 nominees list in a release by the Frank & Barbara Broyles Foundation on Tuesday.

The award, which honors college football's top assistant coaches, has celebrated the success of the best assistant coaches in the country for 29 years.

The 65 nominees in this year's class were selected from approximately 1,500 assistant coaches representing 131 FBS programs across the country. The Broyles Award selection process includes the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), broadcasters, a college football hall-of-fame selection committee, and current college head coaches.

Symons has continued his incredible work on the defensive side of the ball this year for the Mustangs. Under the third-year coordinators watch, SMU has continued to build on a dominant championship defense from last season while making the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Mustangs rank in the top 25 in all of FBS in defensive touchdowns (second), rushing defense (fifth), passes intercepted (11th), sacks (13th), turnovers gained (14th), red zone defense (15th), third down conversion percentage defense (24th) and fourth down conversion percentage defense (25th).

SMU has led in every half of all of its conference games this year, a result of Symon's defense holding ACC foes to just 53 points in the first half in seven games.

The Mustangs are coming off their most impressive performance of the year, a 33-7 victory at Virginia to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship. Symon's defense was on full display, limiting the Cavaliers to just 173 total yards while recording a season-high nine sacks in the dominant win.