The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, published its complete preseason Watch List on Thursday, July 23. The list includes 30 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2015 season. The winner will again be selected by a voting panel, which includes national media and each of the Mannings, after the bowls.
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.
“We’re very excited about the group of quarterbacks on our Watch List,” said Archie Manning. “And once the season gets rolling, I am sure we will see additional quarterbacks become worthy of inclusion as they establish themselves, so we will make some additions.”
Inclusion on the Watch List is not necessary for the quarterbacks to be selected for the honor. Midseason additions to the Watch List will be announced on Wednesday, October 14. The list of 10 finalists will be released on Wednesday, November 25. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, January 13.
This year’s Watch List includes players from all 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences. The ACC leads the way with five selections, followed by the SEC, the Pac-12 and the American with four each. There are 15 seniors on the list while the junior class is represented by 11 quarterbacks and the sophomore class has three.
Three of last year’s Manning Award finalists are included on this year’s Watch List: Trevone Boykin (TCU), Cody Kessler (USC) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State).
2015 MANNING AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST (2014 STATS)
| Name, School |
Cmp-Att |
Pct. |
Yards |
TDs |
INT |
QBR |
Rushing |
| Brandon Allen, Arkansas |
190-339 |
56.0 |
2,285 |
20 |
5 |
68.7 |
NA |
| Tommy Armstrong, Nebraska |
184-345 |
53.3 |
2,695 |
22 |
12 |
63.9 |
705 yds, 6 TDs |
| Trevone Boykin, TCU |
301-492 |
61.2 |
3,901 |
33 |
10 |
72.5 |
707 yds, 8 TDs |
| Jacoby Brissett, N.C. State |
221-370 |
59.7 |
2,606 |
23 |
5 |
69.1 |
529 yds, 3 TDs |
| Connor Cook, Michigan State |
212-365 |
58.1 |
3,214 |
24 |
8 |
81.2 |
NA |
| Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee |
112-177 |
63.3 |
1,206 |
9 |
6 |
72.9 |
469 yds, 8 TDs |
| Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky |
375-552 |
67.9 |
4,830 |
49 |
10 |
78.9 |
NA |
| Kevin Ellison, Georgia Southern |
71-128 |
55.5 |
1,001 |
5 |
3 |
66.4 |
1096 yds, 12 TDs |
| Blake Frohnapfel, UMass |
241-437 |
55.1 |
3,345 |
23 |
10 |
53.9 |
NA |
| Jared Goff, California |
316-509 |
62.1 |
3,973 |
35 |
7 |
75.2 |
NA |
| Joe Gray, San Jose State |
210-330 |
63.6 |
2,305 |
11 |
9 |
44.6 |
NA |
| Christian Hackenberg, Penn State |
270-484 |
55.8 |
2,977 |
12 |
15 |
35.7 |
NA |
| Taysom Hill, BYU |
88-132 |
66.7 |
975 |
7 |
3 |
85.8 |
460 yds, 8 TDs |
| Kevin Hogan, Stanford |
232-352 |
65.9 |
2,792 |
19 |
8 |
68.1 |
295 yds, 5 TDs |
| Brad Kaaya, Miami |
221-378 |
58.5 |
3,198 |
26 |
12 |
66.5 |
NA |
| Cody Kessler, USC |
315-452 |
69.7 |
3,826 |
39 |
5 |
78.9 |
NA |
| Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati |
233-390 |
59.7 |
3,254 |
31 |
13 |
70.0 |
142 yds, 1 TD |
| Fredi Knighten, Arkansas State |
269-432 |
62.3 |
3,277 |
24 |
7 |
47.7 |
779 yds, 11 TDs |
| Joe Licata, Buffalo |
224-345 |
64.9 |
2,647 |
29 |
11 |
53.0 |
NA |
| Paxton Lynch, Memphis |
259-413 |
62.7 |
3,031 |
22 |
9 |
56.8 |
321 yds, 13 TDs |
| Maty Mauk, Missouri |
221-414 |
53.4 |
2,648 |
25 |
13 |
56.7 |
373 yds, 2 TDs |
| Dak Prescott, Mississippi State |
244-396 |
61.6 |
3,449 |
27 |
11 |
74.1 |
986 yds, 14 TDs |
| Keenan Reynolds, Navy |
52-111 |
46.8 |
843 |
6 |
3 |
46.0 |
1191 yds, 23 TDs |
| Sam B. Richardson, Iowa State |
254-451 |
56.3 |
2,669 |
18 |
9 |
60.9 |
421 yds, 3 TDs |
| Anu Solomon, Arizona |
313-540 |
58.0 |
3,793 |
28 |
9 |
58.5 |
291 yds, 2 TDs |
| Zach Terrell, Western Michigan |
250-368 |
67.9 |
3,443 |
26 |
10 |
72.5 |
264 yds, 3 TDs |
| Justin Thomas, Georgia Tech |
96-187 |
51.3 |
1,719 |
18 |
6 |
83.7 |
1086 yds, 8 TDs |
| P.J. Walker, Temple |
203-381 |
53.3 |
2,317 |
13 |
15 |
32.6 |
324 yds, 3 TDs |
| Deshaun Watson, Clemson |
93-137 |
67.9 |
1,466 |
14 |
2 |
90.8 |
200 yds, 5 TDs |
| Marquise Williams, North Carolina |
270-428 |
63.1 |
3,068 |
21 |
9 |
67.7 |
788 yds, 13 TDs |
After announcing 30 quarterbacks to watch during the preseason, the Manning Award opted to increase its focus players based on the many outstanding performances during the first half of the year. While these players have been added to the Watch List, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible to win the honor.
2015-16 MANNING AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST ADDITIONS (STATS THROUGH 10/14/15)
| Name, School |
Cmp-Att |
Pct. |
Yards |
TDs |
INT |
QBR |
Rushing |
| Kyle Allen, Texas A&M |
89-139 |
64.0 |
1,274 |
13 |
2 |
80.3 |
136 yds, 2 TDs |
| Jeff Driskel, Louisiana Tech |
136-223 |
61.0 |
1,812 |
11 |
3 |
66.0 |
211 yds, 5 TDs |
| Luke Falk, Washington State |
196-275 |
71.3 |
1,964 |
15 |
2 |
58.4 |
NA |
| Matt Johnson, Bowling Green |
190-275 |
69.1 |
2,534 |
19 |
3 |
79.1 |
NA |
| Chad Kelly, Ole Miss |
121-188 |
64.4 |
1,862 |
14 |
5 |
86.1 |
129 yds, 4 TDs |
| Pat Mahomes, Texas Tech |
167-257 |
65.0 |
2,264 |
19 |
5 |
87.8 |
NA |
| Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma |
108-163 |
66.3 |
1,593 |
14 |
3 |
71.5 |
133 yds, 4 TDs |
| Seth Russell, Baylor |
83-130 |
63.8 |
1,527 |
22 |
5 |
80.0 |
178 yds, 4 TDs |
| Brent Stockstill, Middle Tennessee |
158-235 |
67.2 |
1,803 |
16 |
3 |
81.3 |
NA |
| Greg Ward, Jr., Houston |
100-138 |
72.5 |
1,302 |
8 |
1 |
85.5 |
554 yds, 11 TDs |
The additions to the Watch List come from six different conferences with the Big 12 leading the way with three quarterbacks. The SEC and Conference USA both added two players, while the American, the MAC and the Pac-12 each had one recognized. The newcomers include four juniors, three sophomores, two seniors and one freshman.
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