The Manning Award announced its 12 finalists on Wednesday. Standing apart from the Davey O’Brien Award, also given to the nation’s top quarterback, the Manning Award distinguishes itself by taking bowl performances into account. So, there’s that.
Handed out by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Manning Award exists “in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.” Just in case you forgot about the Manning quarterbacking legacy in the past 15 minutes.
“I am very pleased with this outstanding group that was selected as our finalists,” Archie Manning said in a statement. “I appreciate the time and expertise of our voting panel who made the effort to get us to these final 12. The skills and accomplishments of some very impressive young men who didn’t make the finalist list shows just how competitive it is to be selected. Now we get to see how these guys do on an even bigger stage - conference championship games and bowl games.”
The finalists are:
- Brandon Allen, Arkansas
- Trevone Boykin, TCU
- Connor Cook, Michigan State
- Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
- Kevin Hogan, Stanford
- Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
- Paxton Lynch, Memphis
- Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
- Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
- Keenan Reynolds, Navy
- Greg Ward, Jr., Houston
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson
The winner will be announced -- you guessed it -- after the bowls and honored at a ceremony in New Orleans.