THIBODEAUX, La. (WLOX) - 25 of the 32 NFL quarterbacks who began last season under center have one thing in common: they’re all alumni of the Manning Passing Academy.
“I was excited for Jaxson to be drafted in the first round, particularly to the New York Giants.”
Ole Miss legend Archie Manning spent time with Jaxson Dart in New York last week after Dart joined Archie and Eli Manning as the only Rebel QBs to ever be drafted in the 1st round: pic.twitter.com/EGJKNMwwfT
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 28, 2025
On Friday, the 29th annual Manning Passing Academy got underway. Nearly 50 of the nation’s best collegiate signal callers are camp counselors this weekend in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, including all three of the FBS starting quarterbacks in Mississippi.
ALSO READ: Two Southern Miss players named D1 All-Americans
“I came to this camp whenever I was a camper,” said Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen. “Being around college quarterbacks whenever I was a kid was pretty cool, and being the guy they look up to is pretty cool.”
Archie Manning: “We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of college quarterbacks come and be counselors at our camp, but I’ve never had one that went into pro ball and wanted to come back and coach at the camp.”#Saints QB Tyler Shough shows his character as he gives back to the MPA: pic.twitter.com/RYFEm8MT52
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 28, 2025
“I came in as an 8th grader one year with one of my buddies,” described Illinois quarterback and Mississippi native Luke Altmyer. “Stayed in a dorm right over there. It’s crazy, time flies. I have a picture on my room back in Mississippi of me and Peyton [Manning] interacting on the field... It’s crazy to see how it all works out, man.”
“I asked to come here,” stated New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who was drafted in Round 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Louisville. “Me and Archie [Manning] were on the same page, and every year, he asks as many people as possible. I was like ‘Hey, is there an opportunity for me to come back? I know it’s usually for college,’ and him and David Morris were super great with it. I was fired up to be around everybody and grow our relationship.”
“It’s a party in Mississippi, I’ll tell you that right now.”
Rebels QB Austin Simmons discussed his excitement for the 8-game home slate ahead of the 2025 season: pic.twitter.com/2Mh9RrBUD7
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 28, 2025
After Jaxson Dart was selected in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, Lane Kiffin’s offense officially belongs to Austin Simmons. The 19-year-old redshirt sophomore takes the reins in Oxford, ready to show the country that the Rebels are for real.
“It’s a party in Mississippi, I’ll tell you that right now,” described Simmons. “Being at home and just having the whole community out there screaming at the top of their lungs every single play just feels great.”
“Stay healthy. That’s the biggest key for me. Obviously our offense is run by the quarterback position so for me to be on par every week is going to be big.”
Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen discussed his goals for the 2025 season: pic.twitter.com/Ni1C3Eqe0M
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 28, 2025
Following his transfer from Baylor a season ago, Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending injury in his fourth game as a Bulldog. Since then, Jeff Lebby’s roster has changed drastically, but Shapen believes his team can make some noise.
ALSO READ: Vancleave offensive lineman Dalton Toothman commits to Mississippi State
“I think with Coach Lebby, he knows whenever you lose guys, you’ve got to bring guys in and I feel like we’ve replaced a lot of roles we needed to be filled. I think he does a good job of that. I think who he is as a person, just how he relates to the guys, all the different attributes he has is special.”
Southern Miss QB Braylon Braxton was coaching his campers hard at the Manning Passing Academy on Friday.
The reigning Sun Belt Championship game MVP spoke about the strengths that he is bringing to the USM offense: pic.twitter.com/GnisX6ZBZG
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 28, 2025
Since Charles Huff took over the Southern Miss football program, the Golden Eagles’ roster has undergone an overhaul. Huff was able to bring in Sun Belt Championship MVP Braylon Braxton, who starred in his offense at Marshall. The Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year winner makes his way to Hattiesburg after finishing last season 8-0 as s starter and throwing for 1,624 yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions.
“Most people think it’s easy bringing a lot of people in from one team, but when you bring so many people in from one team to another team, you have to gel that team. Oftentimes, I find myself in a group with four or five Marshall guys and go, ‘Alright, let me go talk to some guys who haven’t been at Marshall.’ Especially being the quarterback, you’ve got to bring everybody together.”
Braxton and Southern Miss are slated to host Shapen and the Bulldogs to open the season in Hattiesburg on ESPN. As for Simmons and the Rebels, they’ll travel to Starkville to battle Mississippi State for the Egg Bowl on November 28.
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