UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley has been named to the Manning Award preseason watch list, the university announced Wednesday.
It’s the sixth watch list that the junior signal caller has been added to in the preseason, Penn State said. He’s also on watch lists for the Maxwell Award, the Wuerffel Trophy, the O’Brien Award, the Walter Camp Award and the Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Created in 2004, the Manning Award was created by the AllState Sugar Bowl to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It’s the only award for college football quarterbacks that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting, therefore it is presented after the end of bowl season. The winner is selected by a panel of national college football writers and reporters, as well as each of the Mannings.
McSorley was also a second-team All-Big Ten choice by the conference’s coaches and media, while also being named the Big Ten’s Breakout Player of the Year by Athlon Sports and the Maxwell Football Club’s Bryan Westbrook Tri-State Player of the Year. He earned the Grange-Griffin Most Valuable Player award as MVP of the Big Ten Championship game after throwing for a Big Ten Championship game-record 384 yards and four touchdowns.
McSorley turned in one of the top quarterback campaigns in program history, breaking the Penn State season record for passing yards (3,614), passing touchdowns (29) and total offense records (3,979). McSorley threw TD passes to 10 different receivers, marking the first time since 1971 a Penn State quarterback found 10-plus pass catchers for scores. He has thrown a touchdown in a school-record 15 consecutive games.
