Boston College Athletics

Football

Manning Award Watch List Includes Five ACC Quarterbacks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Manning Award, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced its preseason watch list on Thursday, August 15. The list includes five quarterbacks from the Atlantic Coast Conference: Thomas Castellanos of Boston College, Cade Klubnik of Clemson, Kyron Drones of Virginia Tech, Haynes King of Georgia Tech and Preston Stone of SMU.

Transfers and newcomers at their schools this season were not considered for the preseason watch list.

The Manning Award, presented annually since the 2004 football season, seeks to honor the best quarterback in college football as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee. It is the only quarterback award that includes each candidate's postseason bowl performance in its balloting.

The complete preseason watch list includes 29 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2024 season. The winner will again be selected by a voting panel, which includes national media and each of the Mannings, after the postseason.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.

Inclusion on the watch list is not necessary for the quarterbacks to be selected for the honor. Additional quarterbacks will be added to the watch list during the season. Finalists will be selected prior to the postseason, and the winner will be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.

ACC Representatives on the 2024 Manning Award Preseason Watch List:
 
Name, School, Class, Position
Thomas Castellanos, Boston College, Junior, QB
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, Junior, QB
Haynes King, Georgia Tech, Redshirt Junior, QB
Preston Stone, SMU, Redshirt Junior, QB
Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech, Redshirt Junior, QB
 
ACC Football Notes
  • The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks, with the return of full-time starters Thomas Castellanos at Boston College, Cade Klubnik at Clemson, Grayson Loftis at Duke, Haynes King at Georgia Tech, Preston Stone at SMU, and Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech, and transfers DJ Uiagalelei at Florida State, Tyler Shough at Louisville, Cam Ward at Miami, Grayson McCall at NC State, and Kyle McCord at Syracuse among others.
    • ACC had 10 quarterbacks named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, no other conference had more.
    • ACC had eight quarterbacks named to the Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch list, no other conference had more.
    • ACC has the top-ranked group of quarterback transfers in 2024 by CBS Sports.
    • 13 QBs in the league enter the 2024 season with over 20 career touchdown passes and 3,500 career passing yards.
    • Eight quarterbacks from ACC schools are projected to start Week 1 in the 2024 NFL season — 25 percent of NFL teams.
    • Since 2018, the ACC has had at least one quarterback drafted in the first round in five different drafts — the only conference to do that.
  • The ACC’s non-conference schedule continues to be the most challenging in the country.
    • 27 games against Power 4 opponents, including Notre Dame, the most of any conference.
    • Nine non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2023 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the most of any conference.
    • 10 non-conference games against teams in ESPN’s 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25, the most of any conference.
  • ACC Features Elite Coaching Leadership
    • Six ACC head coaches were named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Peach Bowl, no other conference had more.
    • Two of the three active coaches to win a national title reside in the ACC - Dabo Swinney led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. North Carolina’s Mack Brown won a national title at Texas in 2005.
  • The 2024 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
About the Manning Award
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor 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. 
 
About the ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 72nd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow the ACC on Instagram (@accsports), Twitter (@theACC) and Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).