Texas Tech junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II was named a finalist Wednesday for the Manning Award which is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate signal caller.
Mahomes is joined as a finalist by J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Jake Browning (Washington), Sam Darnold (USC), Luke Falk (Washington State), Jalen Hurts (Alabama), Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Zach Terrell (Western Michigan) and Deshaun Watson (Clemson).
Mahomes, a native of Whitehouse, Texas, is the second Red Raider quarterback to be named a finalist for the Manning Award as he joins Graham Harrell, who was a top-10 finalist late in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Mahomes ranks as the nation’s leader in both passing yards and total offense this season as he recorded 5,052 yards through the air, making him the fourth Red Raider all-time and the 12th FBS quarterback to pass for over 5,000 yards in a season. He is the first Red Raider to reach the mark since Harrell in 2008.
In addition, Mahomes also became just the third FBS quarterback all-time to post 5,000 yards of total offense twice in a career. Mahomes, who has also rushed for 285 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, joins Harrell (2007-08) and Houston’s Case Keenum (2008-09, 2011) in the elusive group.
Mahomes’ 12 rushing touchdowns marked the most for a Red Raider quarterback in school history. His 53 touchdowns altogether (41 passing, 12 rushing) lead the country heading into this weekend and ranks second all-time in program history.
Mahomes threw for over 300 yards in nine of 12 games this season, including four contests where he totaled at least 500 yards through the air. Mahomes set the NCAA FBS record on Oct. 22 with 819 yards of total offense against Oklahoma. He also matched the FBS record with 734 passing yards in the game.
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. The 2016 Manning Award winning will be announced on Jan. 11.
