Six ACC Quarterbacks Named to 2026 Manning Award Watch List
California, Duke, Miami, NC State, Pitt and SMU each have a quarterback on the preseason list as the ACC continues to make its mark on the national awards race.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Six Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks will enter the 2026 season on the national radar after earning spots on the Manning Award Preseason Watch List, announced by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The ACC’s six selections are Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele of California, Walker Eget of Duke, Darian Mensah of Miami, CJ Bailey of NC State, Mason Heintschel of Pitt and Kevin Jennings of SMU.
The group is part of a 40-player preseason watch list featuring some of the nation’s top quarterbacks heading into the 2026 college football season.
Six ACC Quarterbacks in the Manning Award Race
The conference’s representation includes a mix of established veterans and quarterbacks looking to make their mark in new seasons.
The ACC selections are:
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, sophomore — California
Walker Eget, sixth-year — Duke
Darian Mensah, senior — Miami
CJ Bailey, junior — NC State
Mason Heintschel, sophomore — Pitt
Kevin Jennings, fifth-year — SMU
The inclusion of six ACC quarterbacks gives the conference one of the strongest contingents on the preseason list and adds another national award race to an already crowded preseason spotlight surrounding the league's signal callers.
Mensah, Bailey, Jennings and Sagapolutele have also appeared on other major preseason quarterback award lists, while Eget and Heintschel give Duke and Pitt additional representation in the national conversation.
What Makes the Manning Award Different?
The Manning Award was established by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the Manning family and distinguishes itself from other major quarterback awards by taking postseason performances into consideration when selecting its winner.
That element gives the award a unique twist as the season progresses.
A strong regular season can put a quarterback in position to remain among the contenders, but postseason performance — including the College Football Playoff — can ultimately influence the final decision.
The preseason watch list, however, is only the beginning.
Being named to the initial list is not a requirement to win the award, and additional quarterbacks can be added throughout the season based on their performances.
The Race Continues Into October and Beyond
The Allstate Sugar Bowl will release a midseason watch list in October, giving the selection process another opportunity to recognize quarterbacks who emerge during the first half of the season.
Finalists will be announced before the postseason, with the eventual Manning Award winner selected following the College Football Playoff National Championship.
For the ACC, six quarterbacks now have an early opportunity to establish themselves as national award contenders.
Whether the preseason recognition translates into a finalist appearance will ultimately come down to what happens between the lines — and, uniquely for the Manning Award, how those quarterbacks perform when the postseason arrives.
