The Davey O’Brien Award released its full preseason watch list on Thursday, complete with 30 early candidates to watch ahead of the 2026 college football season.
The award is presented at the end of each regular season to the top quarterback in college football. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, for example, won last year’s Davey O’Brien Award.
The Davey O’Brien Award midseason watch list will be revealed on Nov. 3. Fan voting, which is entering its 6th year, will begin on Nov. 10 after the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2026 has been announced. Semifinalists are set to be revealed on Nov. 17, and the field will be whittled to 3 finalists on Nov. 24. Finally, the Award winner will be announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards show on Friday, Dec. 11.
A total of 7 SEC quarterbacks cracked the preseason watch list, more than any other conference. The Big Ten and Big 12 placed 5 quarterbacks on the list while the ACC has 4.
Here are the SEC selections:
- Byrum Brown, Auburn
- Gunner Stockton, Georgia
- Sam Leavitt, LSU
- John Mateer, Oklahoma
- Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
- Arch Manning, Texas
- Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Here’s a look at the full watch list:
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
