LIVINGSTON, Ala. - After leading the University of West Alabama Football team to their greatest regular season in 53 years, Head Coach Brett Gilliland was named the GSC Co-Coach of the Year on Thursday. 

Gilliland earns the second GSC Coach of the Year nod of his career after putting together a 9-1 season which stands as the best regular season campaign in school history since the Tigers' 1971 National Championship season. After their historic season, Gilliland and UWA were slotted as the three-seed in the Super Region Two and are set to host their first NCAA Playoff game since 2017 with Lenoir-Rhyne on the docket for Saturday.

Under Gilliland's tutelage, West Alabama is in the midst of one of the greatest defensive seasons in the program's history. Heading into the playoffs, the Tigers rank in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense, third down conversion percentage defense, first down defense, red zone defense, and total tackles for loss, resulting in seven players on that side of the ball being named to the All-GSC team.

On top of all of their accomplishments in the 2024 regular season, the Tigers went a perfect 6-0 at home for the first time in seven years, beating their opponents by an average of 26.7 points.

Gilliland and West Alabama continue their historic campaign on Saturday when they host the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Football Playoffs.