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Texas QB Arch Manning Snubbed By Surprising Award

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 6:12 PM ET

Texas quarterback Arch Manning will undoubtedly be on the watch list of every major college football award for quarterbacks this coming season, including the Heisman Trophy. Yet one noteworthy award surprised people by leaving him off their list.

Each year the Sugar Bowl game organizers present the Manning Award, named in honor of quarterbacks Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning for their roots in the state of Louisiana. The list included 27 quarterbacks from every major FBS conference and plenty of dark-horse candidates like Keyone Jenkins, Nicholas Vattiato and Colton Joseph just to name a few.

"The Manning Award, presented by the @Allstate #SugarBowl has announced its preseason Watch List! The list includes 27 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2025 season.

"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’ postseason performances in its balloting."

But despite the watch list consisting of over two dozen quarterbacks, Texas quarterback Arch Manning was not one of them.

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Fans on social media weren't exactly crying tears for Manning though. Just about all of them agree that the hype for Manning is just too much. Others remarked that the watchlist is based on past performance, not hype.

"So you’re suggesting they just give it to him because of his last name??? Where’s the fairness in that?" one user responded on Instagram.

"Notice how all those QBs have actually played a lot more than Arch," another pointed out.

"He hasn’t done anything yet," a third declared.

What is the Manning Award?

One of the few awards in college football that are awarded after postseason football is played, the Manning Award has existed since 2004 and has often been a pretty good predictor for NFL Draft position.

Of the 20 winners of the Manning Award since it was first handed to Eli Manning in 2004, more than half of them have been the first quarterback taken in their NFL Draft. All but two of the winners have gone somewhere in the first round.

Suffice it to say, it's a nice feather to add to one's cap.

Expectations

Whether the hype is deserved or not, Arch Manning has the unenviable task of taking over for a starting quarterback in Quinn Ewers who was not only extremely popular but extremely successful for the Longhorns.

Last season Ewers led the Longhorns to the closest they've been to a national championship in over 15 years. With the team that's been established this year, Manning now leads a team that is expected to go all the way in just his first year as a starter and with under 100 passes thrown in college.

Nothing short of winning a national title this year will silence the doubters.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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