The Mannings will kick off their 28th annual Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls Thursday. Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli Manning will join more than 140 coaches teaching the fundamentals of offensive technique and schemes. The program has become a premier offensive skills camp for high schoolers across the country and is expected to host over 1400 kinds this year. Saints legend Archie Manning said he never expected the camp to grow past a regional event.
“I would have never anticipated, especially if you’d have told me we’d have kids coming from 47 states and even Canada. I’d have said, ‘Nah, no way’.”
The camp is open to eighth-through-twelfth grade players and not just quarterbacks. QB’s, wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends will attend seminars, participate in meetings, run through drills, and scrimmage one another over three days of camp. Manning said they aren’t trying to turn every attendee into an NFL player, but they want to make every player better.
“We feel real strongly: if a young man chooses to play high school football, we think he should have a good experience, and we want to enhance that experience and that’s what we try to do.”
The Manning Passing Academy is perhaps best known for its counselors- dozens of the nation’s top college quarterbacks. Talents like Quinn Ewers, Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, and Garrett Nussmeier will have the chance to learn from Peyton and Eli and participate in a public exhibition, but Manning said their primary purpose is to teach the campers.
“You just can’t believe the response we get on our website from parents and so-forth when their child gets home talking about the good time they had with Dak Prescott or the good experience they had with Patrick Mahomes.”
