CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Miami senior quarterback Cam Ward was selected as the winner of the 2024 Manning Award, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the top quarterback in the nation, it was announced on Wednesday.
Ward is the first Miami quarterback to earn the honor, which started in 2004. He’s the fourth player from the ACC to be recognized, joining Matt Ryan (Boston College) in 2007, Jameis Winston (Florida State) in 2013 and Deshaun Watson (Clemson) in both 2015 and 2016.
The Manning Award, now in its 21st year, was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates' bowl and playoff performances in its balloting. The award is voted on by a panel of local and national media, as well as each of the Mannings.
Ward’s selection as the Manning Award winner adds to a list of national postseason accolades that include winning the Davey O’Brien Award and being a Heisman Trophy finalist. He was also a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose awards, in addition to being a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.
The first player from Miami to be named the ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, the All-ACC First-Team selection at quarterback led the nation in passing touchdowns (39), points responsible for (272) and Total QBR (88.0) and ranked second in all of FBS in passing yards (4,313), and passing yards per game (331.8). Ward also ranked third nationally in total offensive yards per game (347.5) and was fourth in yards per pass attempt (9.50) and passing efficiency (172.2).
This season, Ward set new single-season records for Miami in several offensive categories, including passing touchdowns, passing yards, pass completions, and completion percentage. He also became the first Miami player to achieve seven consecutive 300-yard performances.
Ward, who passed for over 300 yards in 10 games this season, threw for over 18,000 yards over his collegiate career, which ranks in the top five in NCAA history. He also recorded 158 career touchdown passes, which set a new NCAA Division I career record.
In his lone season at Miami, Ward guided the Hurricanes to their first 10-win campaign in seven years. He led the top offense in the country all season long, as Miami led the nation in total offense (537.2 yards per game) and scoring offense (43.9 points per game), as well as third-down conversion percentage (.563). The offense also ranked top-10 nationally in passing offense (348.2 yards per game), first downs made (351), team passing efficiency (169.24), time of possession (32:43) and red zone offense (.923).
Other finalists for this year’s Manning Award were: Carson Beck (Georgia), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), John Mateer (Washington State), Kyle McCord (Syracuse), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Kurtis Rourke (Indiana), and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado).