2024 Manning Passing Academy: College quarterback top performers at Friday Night Lights

The 2024 Manning Passing Academy brought many of college football’s top quarterbacks to Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., for a multi-day event that included the camp’s annual Friday Night Lights competition.

While the primary focus for the quarterbacks was serving as camp instructors for quarterbacks ranging from 8th grade to 12th grade, the group also got to compete in a handful of quarterback challenges under the lights at John L. Guidry Stadium.

With Cooper Manning on the mic and Peyton Manning and Eli Manning kicking off each event with their own throws, a group of more than 45 college quarterbacks warmed up with a Deep Ball Challenge before jumping into the main event – three throws ranging in yardage distance that required the participants to hit three moving golf carts before making a 40-plus yard throw on the run into the “Kaboom” net. Only three quarterbacks hit all three moving targets, and one took home the FNL Quarterback Challenge title in a one-ball sudden death competition that required the quarterbacks to hit one of two moving targets. 

The night capped off with the “Cane’s Challenge”, where each quarterback got one attempt at throwing the football into a basketball hoop from 30-plus yards out. While the competition series didn’t provide a huge sample size, there were some quarterbacks who popped between warmups and the competition series.

Here’s a closer look at 12 college quarterbacks who flashed at different points on the night. (Note: Quarterbacks are listed in alphabetical order)

Jackson Arnold – Oklahoma

Arnold’s play as a freshman proved his toughness outside the pocket, and the former 5-star had good zip on his passes at Friday Night Lights and had some nice deep ball throws. Arnold told On3 he feels much more confident entering Year 2 of college ball in Norman, and his arm talent showed in South Louisiana on Friday night.

Carson Beck – Georgia

No surprise here, but the setting played into Beck’s strengths as a passer. He was solid with his deep ball throws and was right on target in the short and intermediate game. Beck was intercepted just six times on more than 400 throws for Georgia in 2023, and his ability to read the field on timing throws was evident. With plenty of headliners at the event, Beck was firmly in the conversation among the best.

Jaxson Dart – Ole Miss

Dart’s combination of size and arm talent was among the best of the nearly 50 college quarterbacks in attendance. The Ole Miss starter, working in front of the entire Manning family, also had one of the better deep balls among the group. In an offense that is expected to lean heavily on Dart, he looks the part when stacked up alongside many of the nation’s top prospects.

Quinn Ewers – Texas

For the second year in a row, Ewers was one of the best quarterbacks at the Manning Passing Academy. While Arch Manning didn’t throw at Friday Night Lights, Ewers did, and he turned in a very strong showing across the entirety of the competition. When it came to accuracy, Ewers was among the best by routinely hitting on timing throws. With the Longhorns headed to the SEC, the former 5-star will be one of the conference’s top quarterbacks.

Dequan Finn – Baylor

Remember the name. Finn tore apart the MAC en route to taking home the conference’s Most Valuable Player honors. The Toledo star hit the NCAA Transfer Portal and landed at Baylor, and with more than 7,000 career yards under his belt, Finn has a chance to win the job and surprise Big 12 fans with his play. Finn went throw-for-throw with the top college quarterbacks in attendance, and numerous camp counselors felt he was one of the more impressive names to come from outside the 2023 season’s Power 5 quarterback discussion.

Dillon Gabriel – Oregon

Gabriel’s stop at UCF and Oklahoma have shown what type of quarterback the Hawaii native is, and Oregon was quick to jump at the opportunity to reel him in from the Transfer Portal. After a strong showing during the competition period as an Elite 11 camp counselor earlier this month, the southpaw was back at it at the Manning Passing Academy as one of only three quarterbacks to hit all three of the moving golf cart targets. He also nearly pushed the three-way tie into a second overtime with a throw that missed by mere inches. Ducks fans should be excited about what’s to come with the college veteran this fall.

Garrett Greene – West Virginia

When the quarterbacks chatted about who flashed during the event, one name that continued to come up with Greene. And for good reason. The West Virginia starter had a nice throwing session, working the intermediate and deep game well relative to the 40-plus quarterbacks who competed in the event. Green made his case for one of the best Big 12 quarterbacks at the event, and with some nice throws from Baylor’s Dequann Finn, Iowa State’s Rocco Becht and Houston’s Donovan Smith, the new-look Big 12 was well-represented at the Manning Passing Academy.

Cade Klubnik – Clemson

Klubnik might not have the biggest arm of the group, but he turned in a nice showing with his accuracy in the short and intermediate game and had some solid throws during the deep ball competition with wide receivers on vertical routes. Klubnik was also one of three quarterbacks to sink a 30-yard throw into a basketball hoop on just one attempt each. Entering Year 3 at Clemson, the former Texas high school star will have plenty of eyes on him as the program looks to bounce back from a 4-4 ACC record a year ago.

Riley Leonard – Notre Dame

Leonard was one of the more impressive quarterbacks at Friday Night Lights a year ago when he was entering the 2023 season as Duke’s starting quarterback. Now, he’s taking over QB1 duties in South Bend, and the Irish are getting a quarterback with plenty of upside. Leonard has proven he can run the ball with an imposing 6-foot-4, 215-plus pound frame. And after recovering from a pair of offseason surgeries, Leonard flashed a big arm on Friday night – and he won the event after forcing a three-man overtime that resulted in only Leonard hitting the downfield moving target. With former LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock now at Notre Dame, Leonard has a chance to be one of the country’s most talked about quarterbacks this fall.

Garrett Nussmeier – LSU

Nussmeier joined Jayden Daniels at the Manning Passing Academy a year ago, which also saw another Heisman finalist shine in Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Fast forward to 2024, and Nussmeier is taking the reins at LSU, a program that finished with college football’s No. 1 total offense in 2023. Nussmeier is a known gunslinger, and a throwing competition like Friday Night Lights is right up his alley. Nussmeier had one of the best deep ball arms in attendance, and he’s got zip on throws to each level of the field. Nussmeier then joined a trio of quarterbacks as the winners of the Cane’s Challenge after he sunk his lone attempt at a 30-foot throw into a basketball hoop in the final event of the night. 

Jaylen Raynor – Arkansas State

If you’re looking for an off-the-radar quarterback headed into the 2024 season, keep a close eye on the Sun Belt. Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor took home Freshman of the Year honors this past season, and he stuck with the Red Wolves instead of hitting the Transfer Portal. He landed on On3’s Freshman All-American Team following his college debut, and he showed off a great arm and some impressive timing throws when stacked up alongside the Who’s Who of top quarterbacks in attendance. Digging even deeper, Colgate quarterback Michael Brescia and Hampton quarterback Chris Zellous both had solid showings among a group filled with starters from the four major college conferences.

Conner Weigman – Texas A&M

Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard won the passing event, while Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel nearly forced a double-overtime. The lone other quarterback to land in the finals: Weigman. The Texas A&M starter hit all three of the moving golf carts in the short, intermediate and deep game, but was off on his overtime throw to extend the competition. No matter, it was still a solid overall evening for Weigman given it wasn’t a setting that played into his overall strengths as a playmaker outside the pocket, whether it be off-platform throws or rushing the football. On a night where quarterbacks were kept in the pocket, Weigman was more consistent than a number of other top names at the event.