IU QB Michael Penix Spends Weekend as Manning Passing Academy Camp Counselor
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Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix spent the past weekend in Thibodaux, Louisiana at the prestigious Manning Passing Academy, which is celebrating its 25th year. Penix threw at the MPA and got feed back from one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in Peyton Manning.
Penix talked to NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis, a former Hoosier wide receiver, about his experiences at the MPA as a counselor.
“You'll see a lot of kids out here competing at a high level” Penix said. “A lot of kids are having a lot of fun. You're very organized out here. We had a few rain delays, but we took advantage of our time to make sure that we still got time to be with the kids. We talked coverages while we had a chance so it's been really good.”
Penix had a chance to see the game from a coach’s perspective and reflected with Lewis about that.
“I think I'm a little bit nicer.” Penix said of coaching young players. “It's kind of it's kind of different, you know, hearing the kids calling me coach. It's pretty cool. It's good to be out here to be able to encourage these guys.”
Coach Penix also had the chance to be coached by both Peyton and Eli Manning last weekend as well and it left an impression on him as well.
“They were just telling us about the quarterback position.” Penix said of his meeting with the Mannings. “The things we need, just the main thing that is always talked about is leadership and making sure that you're the leader on the team. As a quarterback, you got to be able to work the hardest on the team and same with your best players. That's one of the main things I took out of our meeting earlier. He said the best players on the team should be the hardest workers and I feel like that's that's really big because a lot of people look up to those players on the team especially the young guys so I feel like we got to lead by example.”
Coincidentally, Penix’s roommate at the MPA was Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder who the Hoosiers will face off against in Bloomington on September 18th. Penix said there was a little bragging and that Ridder was a great guy.
The Manning Passing Academy was founded by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning in 1996 whose mission statement is this “For over 25 years, the Manning Passing Academy has been helping players fully realize their potential on and off of the football field. Whether you’re a QB, RB, WR, or TE, the Manning Passing Academy will help you grasp the fundamentals of your position, and basic offensive and defensive strategies.
We’ve gathered some of the most successful and brightest coaches and players from the professional, college, and high school ranks to help all campers learn from the best.”
Mannings three sons, Cooper, Peyton and Eli are directors for the camp as well.