Golden Arm Award Announces 2026 Watch List
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the Watch List for the 2026 Golden Arm Award®, featuring 27 of the nation’s top collegiate quarterbacks.
The Golden Arm Award continues to recognize quarterbacks who demonstrate excellence both on and off the field. The award is presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation alongside presenting partner A. O. Smith Corporation. The Foundation's mission is to promote the game of football while cultivating strong character, citizenship and academic commitment among young athletes.
For the 2026 season, the Foundation has refined its eligibility criteria to better reflect the changing landscape of college football while preserving the tradition and standards of the Golden Arm Award. Eligible quarterbacks must play at the FBS level, meet NCAA eligibility requirements, and have at least three years of college football experience. Players may have no more than five years of college enrollment and must have played for no more than two college programs. Eligibility is based on a player’s years in college, not their listed class year.
The refined criteria have resulted in a more selective Watch List, recognizing quarterbacks who have demonstrated sustained commitment and experience at the collegiate level.
About the 2026 Watch List:
The 2026 Golden Arm Watch List features 27 quarterbacks from programs across the country:
Micah Alejado, Hawaii
CJ Bailey, NC State
Rocco Becht, Penn State
Byrum Brown, Auburn
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Devon Dampier, Utah
Bishop Davenport, South Alabama
Noah Fifita, Arizona
Kevin Jennings, SMU
Avery Johnson, Kansas State
Sam Leavitt, LSU
DJ Lagway, Baylor
Broc Lowry, Western Michigan
Maddux Madsen, Boise State
Jayden Maiava, USC
Arch Manning, Texas
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Owen McCown, UTSA
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Nick Minicucci, Delaware
Dante Moore, Oregon
Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Conner Weigman, Houston
Demond Williams Jr., Washington
The 2026 Watch List reflects the breadth of quarterback talent across college football, with players representing programs from coast to coast and across the sport’s major conferences. From national powers to programs outside the traditional Power Four, this year’s field brings together quarterbacks with a wide range of collegiate experience, all meeting the Golden Arm Award’s newly refined eligibility standards.
As the 2026 college football season unfolds, the Watch List will be narrowed to semifinalists and finalists before one standout quarterback is selected to receive the Golden Arm Award in December. The winner will be celebrated at the annual Golden Arm Award ceremony in Baltimore on December 9.
Sharing a tradition of innovation with Johnny Unitas, who invented football’s two-minute drill, A. O. Smith has been an innovator in its industry for more than a century. A. O. Smith offers its customers an additional advantage in that the company designs, builds, distributes and supports the world’s broadest and deepest line of residential and commercial water heaters, as well as commercial boilers. This single-source concept simplifies ordering, installation and service and is backed by 80 years of research and innovation.