Texas is already making a strong showing on the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, with quarterback Arch Manning and wide receiver Cam Coleman both earning spots for the second straight year.
Manning’s return to the list comes after a 2025 season that put him squarely in the national conversation. In 13 starts, he completed 248 of 404 passes for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns, while averaging 243.31 passing yards per game. He also made a major impact on the ground, finishing as Texas’ second-leading rusher with 399 yards on 92 carries and a team-high 10 rushing touchdowns, good for 4.3 yards per attempt.
His production included three games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes without an interception. That total tied for the most such games by any Power Conference quarterback during the regular season, matching Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, and it was the most by a Longhorn since Major Applewhite in 1999.
Manning’s first full season as Texas’ starter ended with a 10-3 record and helped deliver the program’s third straight 10-win season, its longest such run since 2007-09. The Longhorns closed the year by winning seven of their final eight games and added four Associated Press Top-20 wins along the way. He was also named to Walter Camp’s All-America Preseason First Team and selected to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
Coleman brings another familiar name to the watch list. The junior wideout, a first-year player at Texas, transferred from Auburn in spring 2026. The Phenix City, Ala., native played in 23 career games with 22 starts over two seasons with the Tigers from 2024-25.
His 2025 sophomore season was his best at Auburn. Coleman started all 12 games, led the Tigers with 708 receiving yards on 56 catches and scored five touchdowns.
He averaged 12.6 yards per reception and 59 receiving yards per game. He has also landed on Walter Camp’s All-America Preseason First Team and the SEC’s Preseason First Team.
Texas has now placed two players on the Maxwell Award preseason watch list in five of the last six years.
The award honors the player voted best all-around in the United States by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, NCAA head coaches and the Maxwell Football Club membership. Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 10, 2026, followed by the three finalists on Nov.
24, 2026. The winner of the 90th Maxwell Award will be revealed during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 10, 2026, and the formal presentation will come at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Ga.
Texas opens training camp on Aug. 5 and begins the 2026 season against Texas State.
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