NEW ORLEANS (October 23, 2026) – The Manning Award, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced 15 additions to its 2026 Watch List on Friday. Finalists for the honor will be determined by a select panel of national media members covering college football, along with Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. The finalists will be announced on Friday, 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 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes candidates' post-season performances in its balloting. After initially announcing 40 quarterbacks to its preseason Watch List, the Manning Award expanded the list to recognize the many strong performances during the first half of the season.
 
Oregon State's Braden Atkinson has been one of the top additions to the list, throwing for 2,604 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Beavers to a 5-2 overall record. After opening the season with two losses, Atkinson has thrown 21 touchdown passes and also recorded five consecutive 300-yard passing games during Oregon State's winning streak.
 
West Virginia's Michael Hawkins Jr. leads the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns and ranks 10th nationally in rushing yards, while Kentucky's Kenny Minchey has guided the Wildcats to a 6-1 record and a top 15 ranking. Louisville's Lincoln Kienholz has accounted for 20 touchdowns, with 10 passing and 10 rushing.

In its first 22 years, the Manning Award has recognized some of the top names in college football. It has honored quarterbacks from 16 different schools and five 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 produced five winners.
 
Statistically, Manning Award winners have posted a wide range of accomplishments. Nineteen winners threw for more than 3,000 yards during their award-winning seasons, including 4,000-yard campaigns by Bennett, Burrow, Griffin III, Jones, Marcus Mariota, Mayfield, Murray, Ryan, Ward, Watson (twice), Winston and Bryce Young. Meanwhile, Daniels, Manziel, Murray, Newton, Watson (in 2015) and Vince Young each rushed for more than 1,000 yards during their Manning Award-winning seasons.
 
Perhaps most impressive are the touchdowns accounted for by Manning Award winners. Sixteen winners accounted for more than 40 touchdowns during their award-winning seasons.
 
Previous Manning Award winners have also made their mark in the NFL Draft, with every honoree hearing his name called on Draft Day. Eight honorees were selected No. 1 overall (Mendoza, Burrow, Mayfield, Murray, Newton, Russell, Winston and Bryce Young), while five others were selected No. 2 or No. 3 overall (Daniels, Griffin III, Mariota, Ryan and Vince Young).
 
All Manning Award winners follow in the footsteps of the Mannings themselves. During their college careers, Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning combined for more than 25,000 passing yards and 201 touchdowns while playing in 10 bowl games and earning four bowl MVP awards. Archie was the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, while Peyton and Eli were both 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, 114 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 92-year history. The 93rd Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will serve as a College Football Playoff Semifinal, will be played on January 15, 2027.
 
In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests more than $1 million in 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 generating more than $2.6 billion in economic impact for the local economy over the past decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.

 

Player, School	QBR	Pct.	Yards	TD	INT	Rushing
Braden Atkinson, Oregon St.	78.0	69.2	2,604	24	2	1
Ryan Browne, Purdue	74.4	65.6	1,822	10	3	68
Jaden Craig, TCU	57.1	66.8	1,694	10	5	-4
Ethan Grunkemeyer, Virginia Tech	75.4	72.9	1,984	15	2	-15 yds, 5TD
Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia	83.5	57.6	1,519	10	1	749 yds., 14TD
Max Johnson, Georgia Southern	65.3	66.4	1,601	11	2	34 yds.
Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville	76.1	67.2	1,844	10	3	251 yds., 10TD
Landyn Locke, Sam Houston	34.4	62.9	1,418	11	4	-39 yds
Kenny Minchey, Kentucky	60.1	68.4	1,552	13	1	15 yds., 1TD
John Alan Richter, Toledo	48.8	66.1	1,853	14	1	--
Keelon Russell, Alabama	86.9	67.5	1,746	12	4	231 yds., 5TD
Austin Simmons, Missouri	78.5	63.2	1,773	14	2	12 yds.
Malachi Singleton, Appalachian State	44.1	66.9	1,429	7	2	11 yds., 2TD
Marcus Stokes, Memphis	65.9	66.9	1,841	18	6	200 yds.
Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State	83.4	66.2	1,450	17	4	159 yds., 1TD