NEW ORLEANS (September 21, 2026) – Eight quarterbacks have been named Manning Award Stars of the Week, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, for their outstanding performances during Week 3 of the college football season.
College football fans can follow the Manning Award on social media (@ManningAward).
Kentucky's Kenny Minchey pulled off the upset of the weekend, leading the Wildcats to a win over No. 9 Texas A&M. Minchey completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns in Kentucky's 31-21 road victory over the Aggies. He completed his final 11 passes of the game to lead the Wildcats to their sixth-ever road win over a top 10 opponent.
Miami's Darian Mensah set Atlantic Coast Conference and Miami records with 24 consecutive completions to open the game in a 33-20 conference win over Wake Forest. Toledo's John Alan Richter threw two touchdown passes in the final three minutes to lead the Rockets past Temple, 49-48, in overtime, while Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss guided the Rebels to a victory over No. 7 LSU with a pair of touchdown passes.
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 candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.
Since the Manning Award began recognizing Stars of the Week in 2011, 618 different quarterbacks from 138 schools have been recognized.
This week's eight Manning Award Stars of the Week are:
Jaden Craig, TCU (21-of-29, 337 yards, 3 TDs) – Craig was efficient, completing 21 of 29 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-7 win over Arkansas State. It was his second consecutive 300-yard passing game, with fewer than 35 passing attempts in both contests.
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (33-of-48, 363 yards, 2 TDs) – Chambliss completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns in Ole Miss' 32-24 win over No. 7 LSU. Chambliss recorded his 16th consecutive game with a touchdown pass, tying Eli Manning for the third-longest streak in school history.
Colton Joseph, Wisconsin (23-of-33, 362 yards, 3 TDs) – The Old Dominion transfer completed 23 of 33 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Known for his dual-threat ability, Joseph also rushed for 46 yards on nine carries (5.1 yards per carry) and scored on a second-quarter touchdown run.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California (27-of-33, 413 yards, 3 TDs) – Keawe-Sagapolutele completed 27 of 33 passes for a career-high 413 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears' 49-7 win over Wagner.
Darian Mensah, Miami (30-of-34, 222 yards, 3 TDs) – Mensah completed 30 of 34 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns in Miami's 33-20 road win over Wake Forest to open its ACC schedule. He set Miami and ACC records for consecutive completions in multiple games with 35.
Kenny Minchey, Kentucky (14-of-18, 252 yards, 2 TDs) – Minchey completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns in Kentucky's 31-21 road win over No. 9 Texas A&M. He completed his final 11 passes of the game to lead the Wildcats to their sixth-ever road win over an Associated Press Top 10 opponent.
John Alan Richter, Toledo (38-of-51, 429 yards, 4 TDs) – Richter completed 38 of 51 passes for 429 yards and four touchdowns, setting career highs in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns in Toledo's 49-48 overtime win over Temple. Trailing 42-28 late in the fourth quarter, Richter threw two touchdown passes in the final minutes to help the Rockets tie the game at 42-42 before securing the victory in overtime.
Demond Williams Jr., Washington (27-of-33, 373 yards, 4 TDs) – Williams threw for 373 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-33 passing as Washington turned in its best offensive performance of the season in a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington at Husky Stadium.
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.
