NEW ORLEANS - Former Northwest quarterback and current Samford signal-caller Michael Hiers has been named to the Manning Award Preseason Watch List, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced on Tuesday morning.

Hiers, who spent the 2020-21 seasons at Northwest, was one of 33 quarterbacks to be chosen for the list and is the only QB selected from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) ranks.

Hiers quickly guided Samford to success last season, earning Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year accolades after helping the Bulldogs to an 11-2 overall record and an 8-0 record in the SoCon. He passed for a conference-leading 3,544 yards and 36 touchdowns, tying Samford's single-season school record. Hiers ranked in the top 10 nationally for completion percentage (76.6%), completions per game (27.15), passing efficiency (165.2), passing touchdowns (36) and passing yards (3,544).

Additionally, Hiers helped the Bulldogs to the program's first outright SoCon title and the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 1991. He earned a pair of All-American accolades from Stats Perform and the Associated Press, while also garnering nods to this year's Walter Payton Watch List and preseason All-American status by Athlon Sports, Hero Sports, Phil Steele and Stats Perform.

During his two seasons at Northwest, Hiers led the Rangers to a pair of MACCC championships and the 2020 National Community College Football Championship. He also helped NWCC to the inaugural NJCAA Division I Football Playoffs in 2021, falling to eventual national champions New Mexico Military Institute.

In 18 total games with the Rangers, Hiers completed 65 percent of his passes, throwing for 4,519 yards, 34 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He ranks fifth in career passing yards and remains one of only four Northwest quarterbacks to throw for 3,000 yards in a season, joining the likes of Russell Evans, NFL quarterback Gardner Minshew and current Southern Miss head coach Will Hall.

Hiers also accounted for 4,496 yards of total offense at Northwest, ranking fifth in that category. He is also tied for the longest pass completion in program history, a 95-yard strike to current Washington State receiver D.T. Sheffield in an October 7 road contest at Coahoma.

Created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning, the Manning Award is chosen by a voting panel that consists of national media and each of the Mannings mentioned. Finalists will be chosen prior to the postseason and the winner will be announced during the College Football Playoff National Championship.

In addition to the Manning Award's yearly honor, each week during the regular season, eight quarterbacks are recognized as Manning Quarterbacks of the Week. Sixty players from 58 different schools were honored during the 2022 season and 491 different quarterbacks from 132 schools have been recognized since 2011.

Notable winners of the Manning Award since 2004 have included former Jones College quarterback Stetson Bennett (Georgia), Joe Burrow (LSU), Tim Tebow (Florida), Vince Young (Texas) and Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma).

Samford will begin its 2023 campaign on Thursday, August 31 against Shorter University. Northwest, meanwhile, is slated to open the season on Thursday, September 7 at Mississippi Gulf Coast, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 P.M. on Ranger TV.

***Portions of this press release were taken from samfordsports.com***