No. 1/1 Texas Football sophomore quarterback Arch Manning earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation announced Tuesday afternoon.
No. 1/1 Texas Football sophomore quarterback Arch Manning earned a spot on the preseason watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation announced Tuesday afternoon.
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The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on and off the field.
Last season, former Longhorn Quinn Ewers was tabbed a Top 10 finalist for the award. Former UT quarterback Colt McCoy took home the award in 2009.
In addition to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award preseason watch list, Manning has also earned spots on preseason watch lists for the Davey O’Brien Award, Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award and Maxwell Award. A preseason Third-Team All-SEC selection in a vote by the media, Manning was also preseason First-Team All-America by The Sporting News, which was announced on Aug. 6.
A third-year player who has appeared in 12 games with two starts, Manning sports a 2-0 record as a starter during his time on the Forty Acres. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, Manning saw action in 10 games with the two starts, completing 61-of-91 passes (68 percent) for 939 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named the SEC’s Co-Freshman of the Week on Sept. 16, was placed on the Davey O’Brien’s Great 8 list on Sept. 16, and named the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose National Player of the Week on Sept. 17. The New Orleans native also added 25 carries for 108 yards and four touchdowns. He entered the game in the second quarter vs. UTSA for an injured Quinn Ewers and completed 9-of-12 passes (75 percent) for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He accounted for five total touchdowns against UTSA after recording a career-long 67-yard rushing touchdown. Making his first career start in the victory over ULM, he connected on 15-of-29 pass attempts for 258 yards and two scores. He guided Texas to its first-ever SEC win on Sept. 28, 2024, with his performance against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He went 26-for-31 (83.9 percent) for 325 yards and two touchdowns, while running the ball six times for 33 yards and a touchdown.
As the 2025 college football season unfolds, the watch list will be narrowed to semifinalists, finalists and one standout quarterback will take home the Golden Arm Award in December. The winner will be celebrated at our annual Golden Arm Award ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Johnny Unitas’ hometown of Baltimore—an unforgettable night honoring leadership, legacy, and the best in college football.
Manning and the Longhorns kick off the 2025 season on the road at No. 3/2 Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The game will broadcast as part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for three hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities. It will be the final show for longtime ESPN personality Lee Corso as he is set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.
(via Texas release)
Category: General Sports
