Phil Parker is the nation’s top assistant coach in the country, capturing the 2023 Broyles Award in recognition of his work with Iowa’s defense!

The announcement was made Tuesday afternoon with Parker capturing the honor from a field of assistant coaches that included Michigan’s Sherrone Moore, Georgia’s Mike Bobo, Oregon’s Will Stein and LSU’s Mike Denbrock. As the DC and secondary coach of the Hawkeyes, Parker was the only defensive assistant up for the honor.

It is not hard to see Parker’s credentials for the award this season. Iowa went 10-3 and captured the B1G West title, all while playing with an offense that averaged 16.6 points per game.

The calling card for the Hawkeyes was an elite defense under Parker that finished 4th nationally by giving up just 13.2 points per game. While Iowa was shut out in Indianapolis, the defense held its own in a matchup against Michigan in the B1G title game.

At Tuesday’s award presentation, Parker spoke glowingly of the culture in Iowa City and the team’s ability to stay connected through the struggles of 2023:

“The time I’ve been at Iowa, the culture that’s been there, the players — you can’t do it without players,” said Parker. “You’ve got to get the right players, and they’ve all got to be on the same page. I think this was one of the greatest years we’ve had I thought of all the different challenges you have… Just the way that everybody stayed together as a team and just didn’t divide.”

Parker’s coaching career dates back to 1987 as a GA for Michigan State. He has been at Iowa since 1999 and has been the DC since the 2012 season. Now, Parker has the ultimate honor for an assistant coach in college football.