Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker was awarded the Broyles Award for the top assistant coach in the country on Tuesday. The award was created in 1996 to salute longtime Arkansas head coach Frank Broyles, whose coaching tree includes 27 future head coaches — including Iowa legend Hayden Fry.
Parker was selected over finalists Mike Bobo of Georgia, Mike Denbrock of LSU, Sherrone Moore of Michigan and Will Stein of Oregon.
Parker has been on head coach Kirk Ferentz's staff since 1999, Ferentz's first year at Iowa, and the defensive coordinator since 2012 after taking over for legendary DC Norm Parker (no relation). Phil was a first-time finalist this season, improbably, despite leading one of the nation's best defenses on a perennial basis.
Ferentz hailed Parker after the DC's honor was announced.
"Phil Parker is an incredible football coach, and I am extremely pleased he has been recognized for his success by the Broyles Committee," Ferentz said in his statement.
"We simply would not have achieved the success we have as a a program without Phil's dedication and leadership. Since 1999, we have benefited from Phil's expertise and tenacity.
"Phil is an exceptional coach and teacher. He has helped develop hundreds of student-athletes into better football players on the field and prepared them to be better men off the field. He is one of a kind, and I am so happy that he has been by my side in this program throughout the last 25 years. Congratulations Phil!"
Indeed, Iowa's defense held opponents to just 13.3 points per game in 2023, fourth-best in the nation, helping set the stage for numerous close victories as the Hawkeyes eked out one of the most improbable 10-win seasons in recent FBS history, especially at the Power-5 level.
Even as criticism mounted against Iowa's strength of schedule in the dreadful Big Ten West, where the best offense (Illinois) averaged just 24.5 points per game in 2023, the Hawkeye defense only strengthened against its toughest foes. In particular, the Hawkeyes held Michigan to a season low in both total yards (213) and yards per play (3.3) in Saturday's 26-0 loss; only Penn State held the Wolverines to fewer points (24) this season.
Parker's coaching job was especially notable for the players who weren't available to contribute. Iowa lost two first-round draft picks from the great 2022 defense: DL Lukas Van Ness and Butkus Award-winning LB Jack Campbell. Additionally, sixth-year senior DT Noah Shannon missed the season with an NCAA suspension for placing a bet on Iowa women's sports; he was already going to miss the first half of the season with a shoulder injury.
Parker made the most of junior CB Cooper DeJean, who turned in another All-American caliber performance at cornerback (to say nothing of his skills as a punt returner, but that's ST coordinator Levar Woods' milieu), but even DeJean was laid low with an ankle injury in practice with two weeks left in the regular season, ending his 2023 prior to the home stretch run.
Defense is played by the guys who are on the field, though, and Parker's unit was sensational.
As mentioned, the Hawkeye defense was fourth in the nation in scoring defense (13.3), as well as seventh in the nation in yardage allowed (279 yards per game) and seventh in pass efficiency defense. The Hawkeyes were also the Big Ten's best red-zone defense in 2023. This is a perennial standard of performance under Parker, whose defenses haven't given up 21 points per game since 2014.
DeJean, as mentioned, had an All-American caliber season before his ankle injury ended his season; he'll be eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft if he wants to go, and there's not much he's got left to prove as a player. DeJean had 41 tackles, two TFL and two picks, all while being a fearsome deterrent for opposing quarterbacks; DeJean didn't allow a touchdown pass in nearly 400 snaps in 2023.
Senior Jay Higgins stepped in for Campbell at middle linebacker and immediately turned in a heroic season, registering 155 tackles in 13 games — 11.9 per game, best among Power 5 players. Higgins was named first-team All-Big Ten by both media and coaches for his efforts, and acted as a tremendous representative for the defense and the program on and off the field.
Fellow senior Sebastian Castro became the latest great CASH in the Parker defensive scheme, following in the footsteps of NFL playmakers Amani Hooker, Geno Stone and Dane Belton. Castro, who deserved more than the second-team All-Big Ten media nod he received (to say nothing of honorable mention from coaches, whom you'd assume know better), ended the season with 61 tackles, nine TFL and a pair of interceptions. Castro's pick-six against Iowa State marked 16 straight seasons with a pick-six for the Hawkeye defense, and it ended up providing the final margin in the Hawkeyes' 20-13 win. Castro's hard hitting and playmaking instincts keyed the Iowa attack up front, and he looks ready to continue the NFL legacy of the position.
Most importantly, the dominance of Phil Parker's defense was a necessity. Iowa's offense already wasn't great with QB Cade McNamara under center, but after Deacon Hill was forced into action, Iowa still went 6-2 in his starts, all while averaging 13.1 points in those games. Five of those wins came with single-digit margins of victory, and Iowa allowed a mere 10 points per game in those wins; if that turns into 20, Iowa's stats still look fine, but the wins and losses would have been vastly different.
