Allen named to Manning Award watch list

NEW ORLEANS — Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen was among 30 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2017 season named to the preseason watch list for the Manning Award on Wednesday.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of 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.

The list of 10 finalists will be released on Nov. 30. The winner will be announced in the week following the College Football Playoff National Championship.

This year’s Watch List includes players from all 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences.

Ready for his second season at the helm of the Razorbacks’ offense, Allen enters 2017 after an impressive junior campaign that saw him top the SEC in both total passing yardage (3,430) and passing yardage in conference play (2,291).

He also threw 25 touchdown passes, which ranked second in the conference, completed 61.1 percent of his passes (245 of 401) and boasted a 146.04 passer rating.

His 3,430 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes each ranked fifth in single-season school history. Of his 25 touchdown passes, 19 came inside the red zone, which led the SEC and tied for 10th in the FBS.

The Fayetteville product threw multiple touchdown passes in nine games and became the first quarterback in school history and one of just four in the SEC since 2000 to throw multiple touchdown passes in each of the first seven games of a season.

Allen is also a candidate for the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards.

Former Razorback Brandon Allen, Austin’s older brother, was one of 12 finalists for the Manning Award in 2015.