THIBODAUX, La. — It has become an impressive tradition down in the Bayou, where star college quarterbacks are enlisted as counselors for the Manning Passing Academy.
For some, it is a stop on the path to a much bigger stage, a rite of passage into a fraternity of sorts. Jameis Winston was once here as a counselor. Same for Marcus Mariota and Andrew Luck.
Now DeShaun Watson, the Clemson star, has rolled through for the first time.
“A lot of great knowledge around here,” he noted during a break Friday.
Of course there is.
The camp is the baby of Peyton Manning, the NFL’s all-time leading passer.