NEW ORLEANS (October 23, 2025) – The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced 22 additions to its 2025 Watch List on Thursday. Finalists for the honor will be determined by a select panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Thursday, December 4 and the winner is scheduled to be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.
 
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.
 
After announcing 27 quarterbacks to its preseason Watch List, the Manning Award opted to increase its spotlighted players based on the many strong performances during the first half of the year.
 
"We wanted to be sure and recognize those outstanding quarterbacks who had great first halves of the season," said Archie Manning. "At the same time, there is a lot of football left to be played and a long list of impact games, including the biggest ones of the year – the conference championships, the bowl games, and the College Football Playoff. Rest assured, every quarterback in the country remains in full consideration for the Manning Award."

2025 Manning Award Watch List Additions

Player, School	QBR	Pct.	Yards	TD	INT	Rushing
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee	71.5	64.6	1,948	15	6	97 yds, 2 TDs
Bear Bachmeier, BYU	75.9	62.7	1,386	9	3	359 yds, 8 TDs
Alonza Barnett III, James Madison	66.9	61.3	1,252	9	2	266 yds, 9 TDs
Carson Beck, Miami	81.0	73.0	1,484	11	7	1 TD
Byrum Brown, USF	67.8	63.4	1,695	16	5	475 yds, 6 TDs
CJ Carr, Notre Dame	76.9	65.8	1,758	14	4	2 TDs
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss	84.4	62.7	1,549	8	1	323 yds, 5 TDs
Anthony Colandrea, UNLV	67.7	66.8	1,618	12	4	410 yds, 4 TDs
Jalon Daniels, Kansas	78.1	69.9	1,752	18	2	199 yds, 1 TD
Joe Fagnano, Connecticut	74.7	68.1	1,918	15	0	94 yds, 2 TDs
Noah Fifita, Arizona	71.6	66.0	1,829	17	4	78 yds, 3 TDs
Jayden Maiava, USC	92.1	68.1	2,180	15	4	41 yds, 4 TDs
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana	87.7	73.5	1,755	21	2	151 yds, 2 TDs
Darian Mensah, Duke	75.9	70.3	2,211	17	2	NA
Drew Mestemaker, North Texas	69.6	66.7	1,860	17	3	72 yds, 4 TDs
Dante Moore, Oregon	75.8	72.3	1,686	19	4	144 yds
Beau Pribula, Missouri	77.7	70.0	1,617	11	7	210 yds, 5 TDs
Dylan Raiola, Nebraska	65.2	72.8	1,768	16	5	NA
Julian Sayin, Ohio State	88.4	80.0	1,872	19	3	NA
Evan Simon, Temple	72.0	62.1	1,343	16	0	173 yds, 2 TDs
Ty Simpson, Alabama	82.6	70.2	1,931	18	1	66 yds, 2 TDs
Gunner Stockton, Georgia	91.0	70.5	1,553	10	1	279 yds, 7 TDs

 
The additions to the Watch List come from seven different conferences with the Big Ten and SEC leading the way with five quarterbacks each.
 
In its first 21 years, the Manning Award has recognized the top names in college football. It has honored quarterbacks from 15 different schools and from four different conferences. The Southeastern Conference (Jayden Daniels, Stetson Bennett, Bryce Young, Joe Burrow, Mac Jones, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, JaMarcus Russell and Tim Tebow) leads the way with nine Manning Award honorees, while the Big 12 Conference (Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Vince Young, Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (Cam Ward, Deshaun Watson twice, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston) have each had five winners.

All the Manning Award winners follow in the footsteps of the Mannings themselves. In college, Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning combined for over 25,000 passing yards and 201 touchdowns while playing in 10 bowl games and earning four bowl MVP awards. Archie was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, while both Peyton and Eli were selected No. 1 overall.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 110 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 91-year history. The 92nd Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2026. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.