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The Manning Passing Academy will be bigger and better than ever this year.
The largest group of campers, counselors and staff in MPA history will descend upon Nicholls State University this week for the 26th edition of the prestigious four-day passing camp, which begins on Thursday. To accommodate the 1,350 campers, camp officials were forced to seek extra on-campus housing at the school.
The MPA regularly attracts the top quarterbacks in college football to serve as counselors for the junior high and high school quarterbacks who attend the practices, film sessions and lectures. And the lineup of elite passers might be the best ever this year.
A record 45 quarterbacks were invited. The group represents almost every level of college football, from each of the FBS Power Five conferences to NCAA Division II Mary Hardin Baylor and Division III Wabash College.
The list includes:
• Seven projected first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft: Devin Leary (N.C. State); Will Levis (Kentucky); Tanner McKee (Stanford); Anthony Richardson (Florida); C.J. Stroud (Ohio State); Tyler Van Dyke (Miami); and Bryce Young (Alabama).
• Both quarterbacks from last year’s CFP national championship game: Young and Stetson Bennett (Georgia).
• The potential starting quarterbacks at LSU (Myles Brennan), Tulane (Michael Pratt) and Nicholls State (Kohen Granier).
• The potential starting quarterbacks at 12 of the SEC’s 14 schools: Bennett; Brennan; Levis; Richardson; Young; Luke Altmyer (Ole Miss); Hendon Hooker (Tennessee); KJ Jefferson (Arkansas); Max Johnson (Texas A&M); Spencer Rattler (South Carolina); Will Rogers (Mississippi State); and Mike Wright (Vanderbilt).
• The five top returning passers (by yardage) in FBS: Young; Rogers; Stroud; Brennan Armstrong (Virginia); and Sam Hartman (Wake Forest).
“It’s a really good group,” said Archie Manning, who, along with sons Cooper, Eli and Payton, has run the camp since its inception in 1996. “I usually cut it off at 40 counselors, but we had so many guys that wanted to come this year that I couldn’t say no. I’m getting to be a softie.”
As always, the highlight of the camp is the Friday Night Lights skills competition between the college quarterbacks at 8:30 p.m. Friday at John L Guidry Stadium. The college quarterbacks compete in a series of drills to gauge their accuracy, arm strength and route throwing versatility. The event is open to the public. Admission is $15.
“I remember when I first started this camp. Jackie Sherrill was at Mississippi State and Gerry DiNardo was at LSU and everybody said it was going to be nothing but a recruiting camp for Tennessee and Ole Miss,” said Archie Manning said. “We don’t want anything to do with recruiting at this camp. Our goal is not to develop college or pro quarterbacks. Our mission is to enhance the high school football experience.”
Three generations of Mannings will participate in the camp. In addition to Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli, also attending will be Cooper’s sons, Arch and Heid, and Peyton’s 11-year-old son, Marshall. Arch Manning is a senior-to-be quarterback at Newman and widely considered the top high school prospect in the nation in the Class of 2023.
“It’s always a family affair,” Archie said. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that Cooper, Peyton and Eli have not missed one minute of the camp in 25 years.”
2022 Manning Passing Academy College QBs/Camp Counselors
Holton Ahlers, East Carolina
Luke Altmyer, Ole Miss
Brennan Armstrong, Virginia
Tyson Bagent, Shepherd
Connor Bazelak, Indiana
Stetson Bennett, Georgia
Myles Brennan, LSU
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Jayden de Laura, Arizona
Jarrett Doege, Western Kentucky
Dequan Finn, Toledo
Kohen Granier, Nichols State
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
Layne Hatcher, Texas State
Hunter Helms, Clemson
Gunnar Holmberg, Florida International
Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Nick Howard, Dartmouth
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Max Johnson, Texas A&M
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College
Kyle King, Mary Hardin Baylor
Devin Leary, N.C. State
Will Levis, Kentucky
Aiden O’Connell, Purdue
Spencer Petras, Iowa
John Rhys Plumlee, Central Florida
Taylor Powell, Eastern Michigan
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Drew Pyne, Notre Dame
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Chris Reynolds, Charlotte
Anthony Richardson, Florida
Camron Rising, Utah
Will Rogers, Mississippi State
Tyler Shough, Texas Tech
Justin Sliwoski, St. Francis
Kedon Slovis, Pittsburgh
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Liam Thompson, Wabash
Ty Thompson, Oregon
Clayton Tune, Houston
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami, Fla.
Mike Wright, Vanderbilt
Bryce Young, Alabama
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