ORLANDO – The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced its preseason Watch List on Thursday. The list includes 32 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2021 season, and UCF's Dillon Gabriel was among the honorees.
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.
Finalists will be selected prior to the postseason and the winner will be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Gabriel is one of six Manning Award finalists from a year ago on this year's Watch List, joining Matt Corral (Ole Miss), Sam Howell (North Carolina), Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina), Brock Purdy (Iowa State) and Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati).
In its first 17 years, the Manning Award has recognized the top names in college football. It has honored quarterbacks from 13 different schools and from four different conferences.
One of the more unique aspects of the Manning Award is the fact that it takes account of the quarterbacks' bowl performances, in addition to the regular season. Fourteen of the 17 Manning Award winners won bowl games during the season they won the honor. Twelve Manning Award honorees led their teams to the CFP Semifinals or a BCS Championship game. Eight won national championships.
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.
In addition to the Manning Award's yearly honor, each week during the regular season, eight quarterbacks are recognized as Manning Quarterbacks of the Week. Seventy-three players from 66 different schools were honored during the 2020 season and 424 different quarterbacks from 129 schools have been recognized since 2011.
Knights on Preseason Watch Lists
- July 19: Dillon Gabriel, Maxwell Award
- July 20: Dillon Gabriel, Davey O'Brien Award
- July 22: Jaylon Robinson, Biletnikoff Award
- July 27: Cole Schneider, Outland Trophy
- July 30: Dillon Gabriel, Walter Camp Award
- July 30: Andrew Osteen, Ray Guy Award
- August 5: Dillon Gabriel, Manning Award
Gabriel and the Knights completed their second day of preseason camp on Thursday, and will begin the 2021 season on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Boise State at the Bounce House.