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

The 2023 Manning Passing Academy is underway at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., with many of the top high school and college quarterbacks in the country refining and showing off their skills.

Multiple college quarterbacks serving as the camp’s counselors got a chance to show off their arms on Friday night. Among the many college quarterbacks in attendance are LSU‘s Jayden Daniels, Texas‘ Quinn Ewers, North Carolina‘s Drake Maye, Tennessee‘s Joe Milton, and Washington‘s Michael Penix. Several of those quarterbacks are likely to pilot teams that could contend for the College Football Playoff in 2023. They put on a show at the Manning Passing Academy.

The quarterbacks competing Friday night threw a number of different routes, as well as a scored session involving a target competition. While the sample size was limited, we were able to get a solid look at many of these touted college passers throwing side by side. The high-difficulty throws allowed for a few to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Manning Passing Academy: College quarterback top performers

Joe Milton – Tennessee

One year ago, it was Florida’s Anthony Richardson who wowed onlookers with his effortless deep ball. This time around, it was Milton who drew the attention of the crowd. 70-plus-yard passes came one after the next when receivers went to vertical routes. And he was the first quarterback to hit the golf cart on the vertical throw. And just like Richardson did a year ago, Milton capped off the throw with a backflip. The buzz around Milton, as he takes the baton from Hendon Hooker, continues to grow. 

Michael Penix Jr. – Washington 

Penix shined bright during the “Air it Out” Challenge, and he joined Joe Milton and Louisiana’s Ben Woolridge as the lone three quarterbacks to hit a moving golf cart on the vertical throw. After taking down Woolridge in the finals, Penix took home the “Air it Out” title, and from talking with staffers, there’s been a buzz around the Washington star all week. Penix finished second in the country a year ago with 4,641 yards passing. Entering his sixth season of college football, Penix is one of the most-talked-about quarterbacks in America. 

Quinn Ewers – Texas

Remember the confident quarterback who had Alabama’s defense on its heels before he exited the game with an injury? That’s the Ewers that showed up to Friday evening’s quarterback competition in South Louisiana. Ewers throws an effortless ball and showed the ability to hit on a variety of passes. Texas fans are excited for the future in five-star signee Arch Manning, but with Manning’s father Cooper on the microphone for Friday night’s skills competition, the praise for Ewers came early and often. Ewers is the present in Austin, and the upside is clear.

Drake Maye – North Carolina

The “Long Shot Challenge” didn’t last very long on Friday evening. Maye, standing 50 yards from a basketball goal, dropped a pass through the net to end the competition before it got rolling. Maye looked sharp on Friday, and at 6-foot-5, 220-plus pounds, he stands out from the crowd. Caleb Williams is widely considered the top draft-eligible quarterback in college football, but don’t sleep on Maye now that he has a year’s worth of starts under his belt.  

Devin Leary – Kentucky

Kentucky fans, buckle up. Leary is healthy again, and it showed on Friday night. Leary was among the more consistent passers during the skills challenge, and he looked far removed from the pectoral injury that limited him to six games at NC State a year ago. After transferring from the Wolfpack to the Wildcats, Leary is poised to take over Mike Stoops’ offense with Will Levis now in the NFL. Don’t forget, Leary threw for 3,433 yards, 35 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2021. 

Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier – LSU

Daniels said one of his goals this offseason was working on his deep ball, and he was among the most accurate quarterbacks on vertical throws on Friday night. Meanwhile, Garrett Nussmeier is prone to wanting to sling it deep, but he flashed some impressive throws in the short and intermediate game during the skills competition. Daniels is considered by many to be the SEC’s top returning starter at quarterback, while Nussmeier makes a case for the best backup quarterback in the conference. The pair give LSU one of the best 1-2 punches at quarterback ahead of the 2023 season, and Nussmeier’s decision not to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal appears to have LSU set up well at quarterback for at least the next two seasons in Baton Rouge.

Riley Leonard – Duke

If you don’t know Leonard’s name, get familiar with him now. Duke fans know very well what Leonard can do given he was a key catalyst to taking Duke from a 3-9 team in 2021 to a 9-4 team during head coach Mike Elko’s first season in 2022. Leonard threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also ran for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns, one of the best marks by any quarterback in college football. When it came to his showing at the Manning Camp, Leonard made a number of big-time throws. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are talked up as the top draft-eligible quarterbacks, but Leonard could sneak up the board in a hurry this fall. 

Michael Pratt – Tulane

Tulane knocked off Southern Cal in the Cotton Bowl to deliver one of the most memorable seasons in program history, and head coach Willie Fritz turned down job opportunities to stay put in New Orleans. Pratt was a big reason why, closing out the year with 3,010 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions. Pratt was among the most consistent passers during Friday’s skills challenge, and multiple fellow college quarterbacks pointed to the Tulane standout as one of the top names at the camp. It won’t be a surprise to see Pratt climbing up NFL Draft boards if he builds on the strides made in 2022.

Austin Reed – Western Kentucky

Reed led the NCAA in passing yards this past season with 4,746. He also tossed 40 touchdowns, solidifying his spot as one of the most productive passers in college football. That talent showed at the Manning Camp, with Reed flashing the ability to hit on everything from dig routes too deep balls. After flirting with the NCAA Transfer Portal, Reed elected to return to WKU for the 2023 season. And with star receiver Malachi Corley also back on roster, Reed could put himself firmly in NFL Draft conversations over the next year if he looks the part as Conference USA’s best quarterback, once again.

Will Howard – Kansas State

At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Howard quickly turned heads around camp all week. And when it came to top quarterbacks on hand, he proved he belonged on the list. It’s great news for a Kansas State team that saw Howard take over as the starter during the second half of the 2022 season and never look back. In six starts, Howard helped KSU beat TCU in the Big 12 Championship, and his lone loss came against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Jalen Daniels (Kansas) and Quinn Ewers (Texas) have stolen the headlines when it comes to returning quarterbacks in the Big 12, but it’s clear Howard has the talent to put himself into the conversation of the conference’s best signal callers.

Additional Notes from Manning Passing Academy:

*** Three top quarterbacks on this year’s list did not compete on Friday night at the skills challenge in Texas freshman Arch Manning, Florida State starter Jordan Travis and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. Manning is in attendance as a counselor, while Travis was not made available for Friday’s media session and didn’t take part in the throwing competitions. Dart was sidelined with a minor injury.

*** Arizona’s Jayden de Laura showed some very good velocity on his throws on Friday night, and he nearly landed in the “Air it Out” Finals after just missing the golf cart on the vertical throw. He’s a name to keep an eye on out West given Arizona finished with a Top 10 passing offense a year ago.

*** East Carolina’s Mason Garcia flashed the big arm he’s known for, and at 6-foot-5, 240-plus pounds, he was among the biggest quarterbacks in attendance. The only question remains what would Garcia look like after playing the backup role for the past three seasons? Can he take the starting job and run with it this fall?

*** There are some intriguing names from around the country who have the chance to step into even bigger shoes this fall, and a number of them competed in the skills challenge on Friday – quarterbacks ranging from Washington State’s Cameron Ward to Wisconsin’s Tanner Mordecai to TCU’s Chandler Morris. All three had some solid moments on Friday, and Ward – who made the move from Incarnate Word to WSU a year ago – showed some needed consistency in the intermediate passing game.

*** The AAC has some talented quarterbacks ahead of the 2023 season, and beyond Tulane’s Michael Pratt, we also got a glimpse of UTSA’s Frank Harris and Memphis’ Seth Henigan. Both showed flashes on Friday night during the skills challenge, and the trio could make the case for the top quarterbacks in the conference as teams gear up for fall camps.

*** Speaking of best quarterbacks in a conference, UNLV’s Doug Brumfield is hoping he’s sitting atop the Mountain West’s quarterback rankings come season end. Brumfield had some solid throws on Friday as he went head-to-head with many of the nation’s top Power 5 quarterbacks.

*** Toledo quarterback DeQuann Finn had some solid throws during the skills challenges, and he’s quickly becoming a name college football fans should know. This past season, Finn led Toledo to a MAC Championship while moving to second all-time in career rushing yards by a quarterback. With an emphasis being put on his passing this offseason, the trip to the Manning Passing Academy was a good one. 

*** While Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. won the “Air it Out” Challenge, he had to beat Louisiana’s Ben Woolridge in the finals to secure the title. That’s great news for the folks back in Lafayette as Louisiana moves forward from the Billy Napier era. With Chandler Fields returning from injury, and Zeon Chriss getting some extended reps this spring, the Ragin’ Cajuns have a talented trio in the quarterback room this season.

*** The hometown favorite was Nicholls quarterback Mat McQuaide, who drew big cheers from the crowd each time he stepped up. And he delivered a handful of impressive throws along the way. McQuaide takes over at Nicholls after serving as the starting quarterback at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2022.

*** How often does a quarterback stay in one place for six collegiate seasons? Not often, but that’s what Parker McKinney has done at Eastern Kentucky. He owns the school record for total offense, touchdown passes, passing yards, completions, and pass attempts, and he didn’t skip a beat when competing alongside the FBS quarterbacks in attendance.

*** Another FCS quarterback at the Manning Camp was Dartmouth’s Nick Howard, who entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal in November before electing to stay put. Howard, who has proven himself as a runner, made some impressive throws on Friday. 

*** A hat tip goes to Samford quarterback Michael Hiers, who had multiple throws that drew praise from the counselors on Friday. Hiers is coming off a 2022 season that saw him land the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year award with more than 3,500 passing yards.