The annual Manning Passing Academy kicked off Thursday at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Among the 1,250 participants are 38 of the top quarterbacks in college football.
Around 120 coaches from various levels of football are on hand, including, naturally, Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.
Among the top college quarterbacks on hand to learn from the Mannings are Deshaun Watson of Clemson, Josh Rosen of UCLA, Chad Kelly of Ole Miss, Gunner Kiel of Cincinnati, Trevor Knight of Texas A&M, Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, Mason Rudolph of Oklahoma State, Josh Dobbs of Tennessee, Wilton Speight of Michigan, Seth Russell of Baylor, Thomas Sirk of Duke and Greg Ward of Houston.
If Watson has another big season, he’ll have a chance to give up his final college season and be a high first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Quarterback-needy NFL teams are also anxious to see more of Rosen, Kelly and Kiel, just to name a few, this fall.
At the urging of Peyton Manning, Archie Manning started the Manning Passing Academy in 1996. Archie Manning told SportsNOLA.com that the first camp had four college players; three of them you might recognize: Peyton Manning, Jake Delhomme and Brandon Stokley.
The Mannings are honoring longtime ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen at the camp with a special wristband. USA Today’s Jarrett Bell tweeted a photo of the wristband.
Mortensen, who’s battling throat cancer, was named the 2016 winner of the Dick McCann Award by the Pro Football Writers of America earlier this week. The award goes to a member of the media whose coverage has made a long and distinguished contribution to pro football. He’ll receive the award during this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities.