NEW ORLEANS (December 4) – The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced 10 finalists for this year's award on Thursday. The winner will be announced after the College Football Playoff National Championship in January. 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 takes the candidates' bowl and playoff performances into consideration in its balloting.
 
The finalists for this year's Manning Award are:

Name, Class, School	Cmp-Att	Pct.	Yards	TD	INT	QBR	Rushing
CJ Carr, RFr., Notre Dame	195-293	66.6	2,741	24	6	82.7	33 yds, 3 TDs
Haynes King, RSr., Georgia Tech	230-321	71.7	2,697	12	5	77.4	922 yds, 15 TDs
Fernando Mendoza, RJr., Indiana	211-293	72.0	2,758	32	5	88.3	243 yds, 6 TDs
Drew Mestemaker, RFr., North Texas	271-382	70.9	3,835	29	4	75.6	57 yds, 5 TDs
Dante Moore, RSo., Oregon	227-313	72.5	2,733	24	6	77.2	191 yds, 1 TD
Diego Pavia, Gr., Vanderbilt	242-340	71.2	3,192	27	8	87.8	826 yds, 9 TDs
Marcel Reed, RSo., Texas A&M	209-338	61.8	2,932	25	10	77.9	466 yds, 6 TDs
Julian Sayin, So., Ohio State	258-327	78.9	3,065	30	5	91.4	NA
Ty Simpson, RJr., Alabama	256-389	65.8	3,056	25	4	79.5	126 yds, 2 TDs
Gunner Stockton, RJr., Georgia	231-329	70.2	2,535	20	5	86.0	403 yds, 8 TDs

 
"There sure has been some great quarterback play all around the country this season," said Archie Manning. "We've seen so many outstanding performances from players in every conference, so it was really difficult to whittle this down to just 10 finalists. I want to thank all of our voters for taking the time to ensure we're recognizing the best of the best. I would also like to thank the Sugar Bowl for sponsoring this award for over two decades. Now we get to look forward to the excitement of the conference championships, the bowl games and the College Football Playoff before we decide the winner of the 22nd annual Manning Award."
 
Statistically, the group of finalists excels in nearly every category as they have combined for a total of 248 touchdowns with nearly 30,000 passing yards – and they get it done with their legs as well, as they've combined for 52 rushing touchdowns. The group has thrown for more than four times as many touchdown passes as interceptions.
 
The list is evenly distributed by class with two seniors (or graduates), three juniors, three sophomores, and two freshmen. The SEC leads the way with four honorees, while the Big Ten has three selections and the ACC and the American each have one. Independent Notre Dame rounds out the honorees. Five of the finalists will be in action this weekend at their respective conference championship games – Simpson and Stockton face off in the SEC Championship; Mendoza and Sayin battle in the Big Ten Championship; and Mestemaker plays in the American Championship.
 
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.
 
In addition to the Manning Award's yearly honor, each week during the regular season, eight quarterbacks are recognized as Manning Awards Stars of the Week. Sixty-nine quarterbacks were honored during the 2025 season and 609 different quarterbacks from 138 schools have been recognized since 2011.
 
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.