Football’s first family will be calling Thibodaux home this weekend as the Manning’s bring the gridiron’s best coaches and players to Nicholls State University as they host their annual Manning Passing Academy.
18 years in the making, former New Orleans Saint and All-NFL quarterback Archie Manning alongside his two Super Bowl winning sons, Peyton and Eli and oldest son Cooper, continue to host their instructional camp that is touted by many to be the best in the country. Here, some of the most talented quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends at the high school ranks can line up across from a professional and receive hands-on advice from experienced players and coaches who have excelled in the highest levels of both college and professional football .
The annual array of laced brown satellites launching into the warm Louisiana air marks the eighth year Nicholls has hosted the Manning Passing Academy. According to Brandon Ruttley, Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs, Nicholls and the local community is set to experience a significant economic impact.
“For the area, it brings a lot of economic revenue, around $1.8 million every year to local businesses, restaurants, hotels, and gas stations,” Ruttley said. “When that many people come to this area, it is a big deal. For the University itself, it provides a huge national spotlight. You have ESPN, all of FOX Sports, and over 100 media members nationally that come down for the event. So when they are writing stories for the whole country, it is all about Nicholls or the passing academy held at on our grounds.”
Ruttley serves on the camp’s hospitality committee with other members from the community that strives to welcome the influx of weary and sometimes confused travelers to Nicholls’ 287-acre campus. The committee has arranged a Zydeco band and other festivities to give what Ruttley considers, “a dose of our southern charm.” Local food vendors donate food to feed the anticipated 3,000 or 4,000 people, including the 1,200 campers attending the academy.
Planning such a large-scale event takes a lot of input from different university faculties.
“The planning from a facility stand point, I know Mike Davis and his staff do a great job of maintaining the fields and facilities,” Ruttley said. “We start about four to six months out for general preparation and as we approach two to three months, it becomes a whole campus endeavor from food, to housing, to the hospitality committee and the Air-It-Out session. It has taken us eight years to get it to where it is now; (things are now like a) well-oiled machine.”
Ruttley also oversees the sales and marketing for the promotion of the Air-It-Out event on Saturday night. An entrance fee is paid by spectators wishing to watch the best collegiate and professional quarterbacks compete in different aerial competitions to test one another’s skills. All proceeds raised go to the Nicholls athletic department.
Aside from just providing their facilities, the Nicholls State football staff, led by Head Coach Charlie Stubbs, plays a role in the development of the campers.
“Coach Stubbs and some of our other coaches help out,” Ruttley said. “There is a lot of involvement from our staff to help out with the camp any way they can. They look forward to it because as a fan of the sport, it is a reward to be around those professional athletes and top college athletes so it does not seem like work. We even use it as a recruiting tool for prospective athletes.”
These top football players and coaches are not only capable of tweaking a throwing motion or encouraging better footwork, but they are capable of producing college-ready athletes who will succeed on the gridiron. This progression is evident in Thibodaux native and former E.D. White Catholic High School standout, Grant Chiasson.   
Chiasson started 31 games at quarterback, while leading his team to a state semifinal run and three playoff berths. He amassed 51 career touchdowns, and was ultimately named all-state and then all-district twice. After such a stellar career, Chiasson signed with Northwestern State University, where he now, as a redshirt sophomore, is competing for the role of starting quarterback.
Chiasson, a former Manning Passing Academy camper, attributes the academy for having helped his development as a football player.
“Without a doubt, attending the camp made me a better quarterback,” Chiasson said. “Over three days you are throwing over 1,000 passes. That much work gives the campers plenty of constructive criticism from the counselors to take in as a young athlete.”
Though constructive and informative, the Manning Passing Academy tries to maintain a fun and energetic spirit for its attendees while allowing them to compete and gauge their skill levels. This helps foster an environment where players can ask questions and receive hands-on assistance when needed.
“Being a camper was very fun,” Chiasson said. “It’s good to be able to compare yourself to other kids around the entire country and compete with them while learning so much from the camp instructors.  My favorite counselor was Jake Locker. He had nothing but positive reinforcement that built the confidence I needed at 14 years old.”
The mentality of the camp and its staff showed Chiasson at an early age what college football is all about, which gave him valuable insight as to what to expect if he wanted to pursue playing football beyond high school. With adjusted mechanics and helpful advice, Chiasson is grateful to have attended the academy and believes it helped him get to where he is now.
“I think the camp prepared me for college in the aspect that I would be getting coached in everything I did,” Chiasson said. “You are being evaluated on every movement. Also the competitive atmosphere really prepared me for what I would be up against in college.”
In year’s passed, inclement weather has dampened the academy’s ability to train on the football fields spread throughout campus, leaving the unforgiving asphalt as the only place to play. However in the near future, Ruttley said Nicholls will be renovating the fields that the majority of the academy is played on. Through the efforts of Vic Lafont, President/CEO of the South Louisiana Economic Council, Nicholls has been given $1 million to form the fields into the necessary formation known as turtle-back so that the elevated fields will be able to drain. Also, a new full drainage system will be installed to help remove excess water.
Before the estimated 1,200 campers break their first sweat of the weekend, Chiasson has some advice to bestow to those ready to lace up their cleats and start training.
“For the incoming campers I would say to make the most out of the experience,” Chiasson said. “You can learn valuable things from the instructors that you’ll be able to use throughout the rest of your career.”