Post-season is here for college football and that also signals getting down to the finalists for most awards. Two ACC quarterbacks are being recognized for the Manning Award which is given by the Sugar Bowl Committee to the best quarterback in the country.
Syracuse’s Kyle McCord and Miami’s Cam Ward are two of the 10 finalists named this week for the award.
The McCord Resume
McCord transferred from Ohio State after the 2023 season. In 2024, he leads the country in passing yards with 4,326. That translates to being first in the country in passing yards per game with 360.50. McCord also leads the country in completions per game at 30. He is tied for fourth in touchdown passes with 29.
His passing touchdowns, passing yards, and completions are each the most in a season in Syracuse history. His completions put him tied for seventh in a career at Syracuse. He also holds the mark for second-highest passing yards total in school history with his 470 yards performance in the win over UConn.
The Ward Resume
Ward has been at the top of the college football award lists numerous times this season. He is in his first and final year at Miami after transferring from Washington State and Incarnate Word. The Hurricanes are currently 12th in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
Ward was already named the ACC Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year this week by the conference’s media and 17 schools.
He leads the country in passing touchdowns with 36 and is second, (to McCord), in passing yards, (4,123) and passing yards per game at 343.6.
In addition to the current ACC accolades, Ward was also named the Maxwell Award Player of the Week two times this season, and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Player of the Week three times. Ward was also the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week back in September.
Going Foward
The other finalists for the Manning Award are Georgia’s Carson Beck, Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Jr. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Washington State’s John Mateer, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
The Manning Award is one of the few that includes post-season and bowl game performances in the consideration of the voters. With that being the case, and the national championship game being on January 20th, there is no date announced yet for the naming of the winner, other than it will be in January 2025.
