The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 14/14/13 Football’s Manning added as Manning Award finalist
01.08.2026 | Football
The sophomore quarterback is one of 15 finalists for the award.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 14/14/13 Texas Football sophomore QB Arch Manning was one of five players added as finalists for the Manning Award following his standout performance in Texas' Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over No. 18/17/18 Michigan on Dec. 31, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced Thursday. Manning is one of 15 total finalists for the award.
The winner will be announced after the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 19. 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 takes the candidates' bowl and playoff performances into consideration in its balloting.
In his first full season as a starter at Texas, Manning guided the Longhorns to a 10-3 overall record to clinch UT's third-straight 10-win season – its most since 2007-09. Texas finished the season winning seven of its last eight games in addition to four AP Top-20 wins. The Longhorns went 5-2 against Top-20 opponents this season with three of those wins coming against top-10 teams. In 13 starts, Manning completed 248-of-404 passes (61.39 percent) for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 243.31 yards per contest. Also a threat with his legs, the New Orleans native was Texas' second leading rusher in 2025 after recording 399 yards (92 attempts) and a team-best 10 rushing touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per run. Manning had three games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes without an interception, which tied for the most such games by any Power Conference quarterback during the regular season (Baylor's Sawyer Robertson and Ohio State's Julian Sayin) and is the most in a season by a Longhorn since Major Applewhite in 1999. He also holds the highest career passing touchdown percentage at home by an active Power Four Conference quarterback at 9.5 percent. Manning was named a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award in December.
Manning ended his sophomore season with an exclamation point. Over the last six games, he generated 1,714 passing yards (286 per game) and 205 rushing yards while averaging 320 yards of total offense per game and 20 total touchdowns (14 passing, five rushing and one receiving). Leading the Longhorns to a 41-27 win against Michigan to conclude the season and earning the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl's MVP honors, Manning connected on 21-of-34 passes for 221 yards and two scores while adding a career-high 155 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, accounting for 376 yards of total offense and four touchdowns vs. the Wolverines. Manning hit UT TE Jack Endries for a 17-yard touchdown with 7:41 remaining in the second quarter to even the score at 17-17. His second touchdown came on a 23-yard run with 4:38 left in the third quarter to put the Horns in front, 24-20. Down 27-24, Manning found freshman WR Kaliq Lockett for a 30-yard passing touchdown with 6:54 left in the ballgame to put Texas in the lead, 31-27. Manning then clinched the win with a season-high 60-yard rushing touchdown with 5:06 remaining for a 38-27 lead. With the performance vs. Michigan, Manning became the only FBS or NFL QB in the last 30 seasons to have a game with 200-plus passing yards, 150-plus rushing yards, multiple passing touchdowns, multiple rushing touchdowns, no sacks, and no turnovers while averaging 15-plus yards per rush. Manning became just the fifth Texas QB to register a game with at least 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards, joining Sam Ehlinger, Colt McCoy, Vince Young and Donnie Little. After throwing for 221 yards, Manning surpassed 3,000 yards for the season to become the seventh Longhorn QB to throw for 3,000 yards in a season, joining Colt McCoy (2007-09), Sam Ehlinger (2018-19), Quinn Ewers (2023-24), Major Applewhite (1999), Chris Simms (2002) and Vince Young (2005). Manning notched his seventh game of the season with both a passing and rushing touchdown, including his third-straight game and 10th of his career accomplishing those feats. It was also his seventh multi-passing touchdown of the season.
In the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown vs. No. 3/3/3 Texas A&M on Nov. 28, Manning recorded 232 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, including a 35-yard, game-sealing touchdown run in the fourth quarter to clinch the 27-17 win over the Aggies. In that game, Manning completed 14-of-29 passes for 179 yards and a score through the air while adding seven carries for 53 yards (7.6 ypc) and a touchdown on the ground. In Texas' 52-37 victory at home against Arkansas on Nov. 22, Manning matched his career high with six total touchdowns en route to earning National Player of the Week praise from the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and the Associated Press. Manning was 18-of-30 for a career-high 389 yards and four passing touchdowns in Texas' 52-37 home win vs. Arkansas on Nov. 22. Manning matched his career and season highs in touchdown passes with four on the day. Manning also accounted for a three-yard rushing touchdown and a four-yard touchdown reception. Manning became the first Texas quarterback with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Layne did in 1946. Manning also became the first SEC quarterback to accomplish that feat in a game since Dak Prescott did in 2014. It made Manning the second SEC player this century with multiple passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in a game with the other being South Carolina's Connor Shaw in the 2013 Capital One Bowl, and the first FBS player with that since Florida State's Jordan Travis in 2022. Manning became the first FBS player with 300 pass yards, three pass touchdowns, one rush touchdown and one receiving touchdown in a game since Texas State's Tyler Jones in 2016. The only other power conference players to do that this century are Shaw, Kansas State's Josh Cribbs (2003, 2004), Northwestern's Mike Kafka (2009) and Shaw. Manning was just the fourth FBS player this century with at least four pass touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown in a single game. The others were Jones, Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor (2010), and North Illinois' Jordan Lynch (2013). Manning is the second Texas quarterback since the beginning of the Big 12 era (1996) with three games of 300 pass yards and three pass touchdowns against conference opponents (Casey Thompson, 2021). On the road at No. 5/5/5 Georgia on Nov. 15, Manning completed 27-of-43 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown. Manning collected his first career SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Nov. 3 following his outing in UT's 34-31 win over No. 9/11 Vanderbilt on Nov. 1. Additionally, Manning was named a Manning Award "Star of the Week" for the second-straight week in addition to being listed on the Davey O'Brien Award's "Great 8" list. Manning posted his second-straight game of 300-plus yards passing and three passing touchdowns as he guided the Longhorns to a 34-31 win over the Commodores. It was the first time a Texas quarterback accomplished that in consecutive games since Sam Ehlinger in November 2018. Manning was the fourth UT quarterback to reach both marks in three games in a season since 1999, joining Major Applewhite (1999), Colt McCoy 2009), and Casey Thompson (2021). Overall, Manning connected on 25-of-33 attempts for 328 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt. In the week prior, Manning was named a Manning Award "Star of the Week" on Oct. 27 after his effort in Texas' 45-38 overtime road win at Mississippi State on Oct. 25. Manning completed a career-high 29 passes on 46 attempts (63.0 percent) for a then-career-high 346 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for a touchdown in Texas' 45-38 overtime win on the road at Mississippi State. Manning led the Longhorns' rally from twice being down by 17 points, including with 26 seconds left in the third quarter and 12:29 to go in the fourth quarter, tying for the seventh-largest comeback win in program history. Manning was stellar in Texas' 26-3 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 11, completing a then-career-high 21 passes (21-for-27) and a score. He also ran four times for 36 yards (8.5 ypc). In Texas' SEC opener at Florida on Oct. 4, Manning went 16-of-29 for 263 yards and two touchdowns while throwing a pair of interceptions. Manning was also Texas' leading rusher, accounting for 300 of UT's 341 yards of total offense. Manning had a strong performance vs. Sam Houston on Sept. 20 to close out non-conference play, completing 18-of-21 passes for a then-season high 309 passing yards and three touchdowns. Manning also added a pair of scores on his legs to account for five total touchdowns and 320 yards of total offense. Against UTEP on Sept. 13, Manning tallied 165 total yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first signal caller to rush for a pair of scores in the first half of a game since Sam Ehlinger accomplished that feat vs. Oklahoma on Oct. 10, 2020. In the home opener vs. San Jose State (Sept. 30), Manning completed 63 percent of his passes for 295 yards (19-of-30), while mounting five total touchdowns. Manning became the fifth Texas quarterback to throw at least four touchdown passes in the first half of a game in the last 30 years, joining Vince Young (Nov. 12, 2005), Sam Ehlinger (Sept. 12, 2020), Casey Thompson (Oct. 9, 2021) and Quinn Ewers (Dec. 2, 2023 & Nov. 9, 2024). In his first career start on the road at No. 3/2 Ohio State in the 2025 season opener on Aug. 30, Manning finished 17-of-30 for 170 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception. Manning also added 38 yards on the ground, accounting for 208 yards of total offense for the Horns.
