30 Quarterbacks Named to 2026 Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List
FORT WORTH, Texas (Aug. 20, 2026) — The Davey O’Brien Foundation unveiled its Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List for its 50th anniversary season today, a list that includes 30 of the nation’s top returning college quarterbacks.
Compiled by a subset of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, this year’s list was selected based on previous Division I career player performance as well as expectations heading into the 2026 college football season.
The preseason list features 17 seniors, seven juniors and six sophomores. Eleven of the 30 players were semifinalists in 2025, including Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, who were among three finalists. The Southeastern Conference leads all leagues with seven quarterbacks honored on the preseason list. The SEC is followed closely by the Big Ten Conference and Big 12 Conference, both with six players.
The official Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and will contain active starting quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, players honored as weekly Great 8 recipients through the season’s first nine weeks and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection committee. Colt McCoy, the 2009 Davey O’Brien Award winner, is in his first season as the committee chairman.
The Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2026 will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10. For the sixth straight year, fan voting on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) will earn players bonus selection committee votes during the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting rounds. First-round fan voting will begin Nov. 10 following the QB Class announcement.
Semifinalists selected from the QB Class will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Foundation will announce the three finalists one week later (Tuesday, Nov. 24). The 2026 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Friday, Dec. 11, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 50th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, March 8, 2027, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit www.daveyobrienaward.com.
2026 Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List
Micah Alejado, Hawaii, So., 5-10, 180, Las Vegas, Nev.
Bear Bachmeier, BYU, So., 6-2, 230, Murrieta, Calif.
CJ Bailey, NC State, Jr., 6-6, 218, Miami, Fla.
Alonza Barnett III, UCF, Sr., 5-11, 210, Whitsett, N.C.
Rocco Becht, Penn State, Sr., 6-1, 208, Wesley Chapel, Fla.
Byrum Brown, Auburn, Sr., 6-3, 235, Raleigh, N.C.
CJ Carr, Notre Dame, Jr., 6-2, 215, Saline, Mich.
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss, Sr., 6-0, 210, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Devon Dampier, Utah, Sr., 5-11, 210, Phoenix, Ariz.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, Marshall, Sr., 6-2, 225, Atlanta, Ga.
Noah Fifita, Arizona, Sr., 5-10, 189, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Josh Hoover, Indiana, Sr., 6-2, 200, Heath, Texas
Brad Jackson, Texas State, So., 6-0, 197, San Antonio, Texas
Kevin Jennings, SMU, Sr., 6-0, 195, Oak Cliff, Texas
Sam Leavitt, LSU, Jr., 6-2, 216, West Linn, Ore.
Broc Lowry, Western Michigan, Jr., 6-1, 210, Canfield, Ohio
Jayden Maiava, USC, Sr., 6-4. 230, Palolo, Hawaii
Arch Manning, Texas, Sr., 6-4, 222, New Orleans, La.
John Mateer, Oklahoma, Sr., 6-1, 224, Little Elm, Texas
Owen McCown, UTSA, Sr., 6-1, 190, Rusk, Texas
Darian Mensah, Miami, Jr., 6-3, 205, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State, So., 6-3, 215, Austin, Texas
Nick Minicucci, Delaware, Sr., 6-2, 215, Midland Park, N.J.
Dante Moore, Oregon, Sr., 6-3, 206, Detroit, Mich.
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M, Jr., 6-1, 185, Nashville, Tenn.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Cal, So., 6-3, 225, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Julian Sayin, Ohio State, So., 6-1, 214, Carlsbad, Calif.
Gunner Stockton, Georgia, Sr., 6-1, 215, Tiger, Ga.
Conner Weigman, Houston, Sr., 6-3, 210, Cypress, Texas
Demond Williams Jr., Washington, Jr., 5-11, 190, Chandler, Ariz.
About the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA)
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored nearly 1,000 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a three-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2026 preseason watch list calendar:
Fri., Aug. 21: Bednarik Award
For more information about the NCFAA and its award programs, visit NCFAA.org or follow on X at @NCFAA and Instagram @TheNCFAA.