NEW ORLEANS (September 14, 2026) – The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its "Stars of the Week" after performances during Week 2 of the season.

College football fans can follow the Manning Award on social media (@ManningAward).

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker led the Cowboys to a win over No. 6 Oregon, snapping a 21-game skid against FBS opponents. Mestemaker threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns and added 109 yards rushing and one score. SMU's Kevin Jennings threw five first-half touchdowns in a win over UC-Davis, and Maryland's Malik Washington passed for 347 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Connecticut.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor 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.

Since the Manning Award started recognizing Stars of the Week in 2011, 615 different quarterbacks from 138 schools have been recognized.

This week's eight Manning Award Stars of the Week are:

Kevin Jennings, SMU (14-of-16, 337 yards, 5 TDs) – Jennings was an efficient 14-of-16 passing for 337 yards and five touchdowns — all coming in the first half of a 56-10 win over UC-Davis. Jennings also became SMU's all-time total-yardage leader, passing Ben Hicks' program record.

Lincoln Kienholz, Louisville (16-of-21, 332 yards, 4 total TDs) – Kienholz accounted for 374 yards and four total touchdowns in a 59-13 win over Villanova. The junior was 16-of-21 passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns and rushed six times for 42 yards and two scores. Kienholz became the first player in program history with 300 yards passing in his first two games as a Cardinal.

Julian Lewis, Colorado (17-of-23, 366 yards, 5 total TDs) – Lewis finished 17-of-23 with 366 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in a 52-21 win over Weber State. Lewis set at least 10 school records in the win, including most touchdowns responsible for in a half, with five touchdown passes in a half. He also threw for a school mark of 212 yards in the first quarter.

Jayden Maiava, USC (19-of-29, 261 yards, 5 TDs) – A winner of the Manning Star of the Week Award for the second-straight week, Maiava went 19-of-29 passing for 261 yards and five scores in a 49-30 win over Louisiana. Maiava brought the Trojans back from a 14-0 deficit and has thrown multiple touchdowns in all three games this season.

Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State (26-of-43, 426 total yards, 3 TDs) – Mestemaker finished with 426 total yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma State shocked No. 6 Oregon 39-31. Mestemaker passed for 317 yards to extend his streak of 200-yard games to 17, the longest active streak in the FBS. He added a career-high 109 rushing yards to become the first Oklahoma State quarterback with 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game since Spencer Sanders had 371 passing yards and 125 rushing yards against No. 5 Notre Dame in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

Austin Simmons, Missouri (19-of-29, 292 yards, 3 TDs) – Simmons dazzled in the first half of a 38-21 win over rival Kansas, finishing with 292 passing yards and three touchdowns. He finished 19-of-29 passing in the Tigers' big win to move to 2-0 on the season.

Caden Veltkamp, FAU (27-of-33, 386 yards, 5 TDs) – Veltkamp was honored as Manning  Star of the Week award for the second time in his career by going 27-of-33 passing for 386 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-30 conference win over Navy. Veltkamp opened the game with a 76-yard TD strike to Easton Messer on FAU's second play, and four different receivers caught TD passes. His five TD passes tied for his most as an Owl, and his passing yardage was his most since a game the previous November.

Malik Washington, Maryland (34-of-41, 347 yards, 5 TDs) – Washington dazzled with 347 passing yards on 34-of-41 passing and a career-high 82.9% completion percentage (the fourth-highest mark in program history) in a 38-14 win over UConn. Washington completed a program-record 18 consecutive passing attempts in the win.

The Manning Award selected 40 quarterbacks for its Watch List in the preseason and will add additional quarterbacks on October 23. Finalists will be selected in early December, and the winner is scheduled to be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.

In its first 22 years, the Manning Award has recognized 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 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, 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 over $1 million into the community through 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 $2.6 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.