Manning Passing Academy experience just ‘awesome’ for Nicholls quarterback McQuaide

Patrick McQuaide’s experience as a camp counselor at the Manning Passing Academy has been just awesome.

“It’s pretty awesome to get to have everybody here, the college quarterbacks, the other coaches, the Mannings, obviously, and then even all the kids,” said McQuaide, who when not working the camp as a counselor, serves as the starting quarterback of the Nicholls Colonels. “It’s pretty cool just to have everybody come to Thibodaux. To be here and, we have this great facility now.

“Just have everybody here and get people just around Thibodaux and just having a good time here around football, it’s pretty cool.”

McQuaide worked on play-action passing with some of young quarterbacks on the first full day of the camp on Friday.

“I’ve been coaching play-action, throwing off play-action with the young guys. I actually got to do it with Eli today, which was a pretty cool experience getting to be around him and the rest of those guys. You’re always learning something new,” McQuaide said.

It’s the second year to work the camp for the Nicholls junior-to-be. As a returnee, McQuaide has been able to renew friendships developed a year ago and meet new acquaintances.

“I think the biggest thing is just I know a lot of these guys. A lot of guys are back, and you form a lot of friendships from this that last throughout the whole year even though we don’t see each other until this just once,” said McQuaide. “Really just being around the guys and hanging out. Just getting to be around football. I got to meet Coach (Bill) Belichick and Coach (Matt) Patricia, who are obviously two of the biggest names in the history of the game. That was pretty awesome.

“It’s incredible. Just the opportunity to learn and the opportunity to be around people that are at the top of the game. It’s pretty awesome.”

Coming up through the ranks as a high school athlete, McQuaide had a chance to attend various camps over the years. None, he said, can compare to the MPA, which this year features 49 starting college quarterbacks.

“To have this many great quarterbacks and this many great coaches around here in one place, it’s irreplaceable. There’s nothing like it around the country. I don’t know how you can say there’s a better camp and to go to,” said McQuaide.

Now in its 28th year overall, the Manning Passing Academy, which runs through Sunday, has become a well-known fixture on the Nicholls campus and the town of Thibodaux.

More than 1,000 young campers from across the country take part in the event each year.

McQuaide worked with a group of young quarterbacks for a session before they rotated on to other college quarterbacks on different aspects of quarterback play, and then received group after group of other eager youngsters.

“That’s like the most underrated thing I tell people about is the organization,” said McQuaide. “The people who put this camp on do an unbelievable job and make it super easy for us, getting us everything we need and making sure we’re in the right place. It’s honestly incredible the way that they organize it and how they get everything done.”

When everything is done, enduring friendships are established.

“We kind of keep up with each other throughout the year. Everybody kind of knows what’s going on with each other,” McQuaide. “The majority of the conversations aren’t even about football. It’s just 21-, 22-year-old guys hanging out, having a good time, just enjoying being around each other and having fun. Obviously, football is the main thing here, but we’re having a good time enjoying it. It’s awesome.”