UNLV quarterback enjoys ‘eye-opening’ Manning Passing Academy

UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield knew the text was coming. Rebels coach Barry Odom told him someone was going to reach out.

But even with advance notice, Brumfield could hardly believe his eyes when the message from Archie Manning arrived, personally inviting him to be a counselor at the 2023 Manning Passing Academy.

“He’s the big dog,” Brumfield said. “It was exciting for sure.”

Brumfield represented the Rebels at the Manning Passing Academy, the football camp run by Archie Manning, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Cooper Manning at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, from June 22-25. The camp consists of four days of instruction for high school players, but also brings in top college quarterbacks from across the country to be counselors.

North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Florida State’s Jordan Travis and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. were among the other counselors invited.

“We’re honored he had a chance to represent our program on a stage with the Manning family,” Odom said in June.

The camp lasted four days, but Brumfield said the experience was incredibly valuable. He was able to work on his fundamentals and his throwing with the Mannings during the time allotted to the college quarterbacks to throw in the evenings.

The UNLV quarterback also said working with the high schoolers during the day was valuable, forcing him to work on his communication and leadership.

Brumfield said some of his past experiences helping run youth camps at UNLV prepared him for the experience. However, the wide age range at the Manning Passing Academy meant the counselors had to be versatile and attentive to the needs of different players. Brumfield said he saw about eight rotations of 20 kids twice a day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“I have some sympathy for our coaches now seeing how much they go through and how much they have to deal with from a coaching perspective,” he said.”

Following the conclusion of the high school camp, Brumfield said the college quarterbacks then threw for another two hours each day. He said on the first day, they worked on fundamental throws like curls and play-action plays. The second day was a throwing competition based on deep-ball accuracy, and the third featured a detailed throwing session.

“We threw a lot,” Brumfield said. “We met with Peyton Manning, and he gave us a bunch of leadership tips and throwing tips.”

Additionally, the college quarterbacks got to do an open room Q&A session with the entire Manning family and some of the assembled coaches about playing the position, leading a team and several other topics.

The UNLV quarterback said the environment encouraged learning and sharing among the college quarterbacks, even though they were all there to perform at a high level. Brumfield called the entire four-day camp an “eye-opening” experience.

Brumfield said he also enjoyed making connections with some of the other quarterbacks like Penix, UTSA’s Frank Harris, Tennessee’s Joe Milton, Washington State’s Cameron Ward, Nicholls State’s Pat McQuaide and Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, among others. Brumfield added Cooper Manning is now his favorite Manning because of his humor.

“There were never any overly competitive moments,” Brumfield said. “We were just out there competing to get better, not necessarily to be better than the next guy but to be better than yourself.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.