As Stevenson quarterback Ben Fawcett was planning his summer, his father, Bill, had an idea.
Bill Fawcett said he received some positive feedback from another parent whose son attended the Manning Passing Academy, a four-day football camp run by the Manning family at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Archie Manning and his sons Peyton, Eli and Cooper are all involved.
“I heard it was a great experience and it would really help Ben,” Bill Fawcett said.
Ben Fawcett, an incoming senior who also plays baseball at Stevenson, said he jumped at the opportunity to spend four days learning from the Mannings and some of the best college quarterbacks in the country.
“My dad came to me when I first got my baseball schedule for the summer,” Ben Fawcett said. “I could play in one of the local baseball tournaments or go to the Manning Passing Academy. I couldn’t turn it down despite my love for baseball. I was really excited. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a lot of talented quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends.
“Last year I didn’t see the field a whole bunch, so the camp was a perfect experience to get better and learn.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ben Fawcett said his time at quarterback during his junior season was limited to reps in the fourth quarter, which helped him get his “toes wet for what it’s like to play varsity football.”
He gained a different perspective at the camp.
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“Not everyone is from where I’m at, so people are different, and talking to the other quarterbacks and their experiences in high school and how they play was truly different,” Ben Fawcett said. “The diversity of people and how they play football was truly a great experience. The overall learning experience was crazy.”
He said he had a few personal highlights at the camp.
“In our first 7-on-7 game against a true defense, I remember pushing the ball downfield with four straight completions and getting our team a touchdown,” he said. “That memory will never leave me for sure.”
He also had a brief session with Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
“He was coaching me up on my rollouts,” Ben Fawcett said. “I was focused on what he was saying, but it also was hard to concentrate because I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, Peyton Manning is talking to me.’”
Ben Fawcett said he improved his accuracy at the camp due to the high volume of reps and gained valuable insight, including from North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
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Stevenson coach Brent Becker commended Fawcett for challenging himself. The Patriots have a number of players vying to be the starting quarterback in the coming season.
“Ben is an amazing kid, very coachable and great to be around,” Becker said. “He’s had a really strong offseason and is one of the senior leaders in our program. ... Hopefully, Ben picked up a lot from the Manning camp. I’m excited to see how he progressed.”
Rivals.com recruiting analyst Tim O’Halloran, known as EdgyTim, said he has talked with a number of players who have attended the Manning Passing Academy over the years. O’Halloran said it’s an ideal instructional opportunity for players looking to improve.
“It’s more individual instruction, just learning more and drilling down and getting into more focus on mechanics, from what I’ve heard,” O’Halloran said. “They do a great job. The feedback I’ve gotten from kids is they’re glad they did it and they learned a lot. The overriding thing is that it helps them for the season.”
Ben Fawcett wasn’t the only person in his family who cherished the opportunity.
“That’s something that will last a lifetime,” Bill Fawcett said. “But the other thing, it was great to bond with him for a weekend while also watching Peyton Manning and him throw balls.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.