UNC football coach Larry Fedora has been named a finalist for the 2015 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award.

The seven finalists for the award were announced Wednesday.

Fedora joins Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Houston’s Tom Herman, Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Stanford’s David Shaw and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.

The award will be handed out at the 30th anniversary awards banquet on January 13, 2016.

The Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award is the only college coaching honor determined after all bowl games are concluded and is voted on by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, which is based in Salisbury, NC.

Former Tar Heel coach Mack Brown will be the recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fedora will lead the Tar Heels against the Baylor Bears in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Tuesday, December 29.

Following an 11-1 regular season and Coastal Division Championship, Larry Fedora and UNC agreed to a seven-year contract.