For over 25 years, the Manning Passing Academy has taught the next generation of football talent the key points of the game, with counselor help from some of the top collegiate quarterbacks. Included on that list of college quarterback counselors for the 2021 Academy is Liberty’s Malik Willis.
The Camp, founded and hosted by the legendary Manning family, was last held in 2019 after being canceled last year due to the COVID pandemic. Other notable quarterbacks joining Willis at the camp include Myles Brennan (LSU), Sam Howell (UNC), D.J. Uiagalelei (Clemson), Desmon Ritter (Cincinnati), J.T. Daniels (Georgia), Bo Nix (Auburn), Matt Corral (Ole Miss), Levi Lewis (Louisiana), Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina), Tyler Johnson (UAB), among many others, according to Jeff Duncan of The Athletic.
This year, the Academy will be held from July 15-18. During the multi-day event, Willis will serve as a camp counselor, and he will also get the opportunity to compete against the other quarterbacks during the Saturday Night Lights portion of the event. The camp will be held on the campus of Nicholls State in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
The college quarterbacks will assist the camp’s coaching staff with players typically eighth graders through high school seniors that are in attendance. The camp not only caters to quarterbacks but also hosts all offensive skill positions including running back, wide receivers, and tight ends.
In addition to the first family of quarterbacks that will be there to help run the Academy, the Manning’s will also bring in a number of football celebrities like Raiders GM Mike Mayock and NFL Network analyst Charles Davis. Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, and Tua Tagovailoa were among the counselors at the 2019 camp.
Willis, who became the first player in Liberty program history to be named the VaSID Offensive Player of he Year, has received plenty of hype over the past several weeks as he looks to be one of the highest rated quarterbacks for the 2022 NFL Draft. He led all FBS quarterbacks with 944 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns in 2020 while setting school records in both categories for a quarterback. He also finished his first year as a starting quarterback at the college level by completing 170 of his 265 passing attempts for 2,260 yards and 20 touchdowns.
