No. 1 Football’s Manning lands on Davey O’Brien Award watch checklist

By: Grace Tafolla

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Football sophomore quarterback Arch Manning was positioned on the preseason watch checklist for the Davey O’Brien Award, the Davey O’Brien Foundation launched Thursday. The Davey O’Brien Award is offered yearly to the nation’s greatest school quarterback.

Last season, former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was named a semifinalist for the award. Texas has had three gamers obtain the Davey O’Brien Award, together with a pair of quarterbacks. Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell was the primary to take action in 1977 when the O’Brien Award acknowledged the highest participant within the southwest, whereas Vince Young (2005) and Colt McCoy (2009) make up the pair of Longhorn quarterbacks to win the award. McCoy was additionally a finalist for the O’Brien Award in 2008.

In addition to the Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch checklist, Manning has additionally earned spots on preseason watch lists for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award and Maxwell Award. A preseason Third-Team All-SEC choice in a vote by the media, Manning was additionally on The Sporting News preseason First-Team All-America on offense, which was introduced on Aug. 6.

A 3rd-year participant who has appeared in 12 video games with two begins, Manning sports activities a 2-0 report as a starter throughout his time on the Forty Acres. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, Manning noticed motion in 10 video games with the 2 begins, finishing 61-of-91 passes (68 p.c) for 939 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was named the SEC’s Co-Freshman of the Week on Sept. 16, was positioned on the Davey O’Brien’s Great 8 checklist on Sept. 16, and named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose National Player of the Week on Sept. 17. The New Orleans native additionally added 25 carries for 108 yards and 4 touchdowns. He entered the sport within the second quarter vs. UTSA for an injured Quinn Ewers and accomplished 9-of-12 passes (75 p.c) for 223 yards and 4 touchdowns. He accounted for 5 whole touchdowns towards UTSA after recording a career-long 67-yard dashing landing. Making his first profession begin within the victory over ULM, he related on 15-of-29 move makes an attempt for 258 yards and two scores. He guided Texas to its first-ever SEC win on Sept. 28, 2024, together with his efficiency towards the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He went 26-for-31 (83.9 p.c) for 325 yards and two touchdowns, whereas working the ball six occasions for 33 yards and a landing.

The official Davey O’Brien Midseason watch checklist might be launched on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and can comprise energetic quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, gamers honored as weekly Great 8 recipients by means of the season’s first eight weeks and any extra quarterbacks authorised by the choice subcommittee.

The 35-player Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025 might be introduced on Tuesday, Oct. 28. For the fifth straight yr, fan voting on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) will earn gamers bonus choice committee votes in the course of the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting rounds. First-round fan voting will start Oct. 28 following the QB Class announcement.

The checklist of semifinalists chosen from the QB Class might be named on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Tuesday, Nov. 25). The 2025 Davey O’Brien Award winner might be unveiled reside on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 11, throughout The Home Depot College Football Awards.

Manning and Texas kick off the 2025 season on the street at No. 2 Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The sport will broadcast as a part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast reside from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for 3 hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and different ESPN personalities. It would be the remaining present for longtime ESPN character Lee Corso as he’s set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.