10/23/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football
NEW ORLEANS – Sam Houston sophomore quarterback Landyn Locke was one of 15 quarterbacks added to the Manning Award Watch List on Friday morning, per an announcement from the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The Manning Award, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, was created in 2004 in honor of the football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is presented annually to the top quarterback in college football and is the only quarterback award that takes the candidates' bowl and playoff performances into account in its balloting.
Finalists for the award will be determined by a select panel of national media members, along with Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning, and announced on December 4, with the winner named following the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Locke is one of two CUSA quarterbacks ranked among the league's top two in both passing yards per game and touchdown passes, alongside Jax State's Caden Creel. The Rockwall product leads the league with 236.1 passing yards per game and is tied for the league lead with 12 touchdown passes through the Kats' first seven games.
His 12 touchdown passes have averaged 38.4 yards, one of the longest averages among FBS quarterbacks with at least 10 touchdown tosses this season. He hit teammate Tim Burns Jr. for an 81-yard touchdown on Wednesday against NM State, his second scoring toss of over 80 yards this year. In all, he has seven touchdown passes of at least 30 yards, a total already more than double the Kats' team total from the entire 2025 season.
Locke has topped 300 passing yards three times this season, throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns at Troy, 322 yards and four scores against Nicholls and 316 yards with two touchdowns against Tulsa. He has made 10 career starts for the Kats after taking over as the starter for the final three games of the 2025 season.
Locke and the Kats return to action Tuesday, October 27, when Sam Houston travels to Springfield, Mo., to take on Missouri State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and the game will air on ESPN2.
