Colorado’s Steven Montez attends Manning Passing Academy

The Manning Passing Academy was held a few weeks ago with 39 quarterbacks attending the three-day camp at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. One of those to receive an invite was Colorado’s Steven Montez.

The 21-year-old El Paso, Texas native was one of four Pac-12 quarterbacks selected to make the trip down south along with Washington’s Jake Browning, Arizona’s Khalil Tate and Washington State’s Gardner Minshew. Browning, a pro-style leader of the Huskies’ offense, is the only one of the group to attend for a second-consecutive year.

Wisconsin’s Alex Hornibrook won the competition over Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, Penn State’s Trace McSorley, and Georgia’s Jake Fromm. Hornibrook has started 23 games since his true freshman season in 2016 and has thrown for 3,906 yards with 34 touchdowns in his career. He currently holds the best winning percentage in Wisconsin history with a record of 20-3.

It’s been a highly-successful run for the Manning’s (Archie, Cooper, Peyton and Eli) in their 23rd year of mentoring some of the best quarterbacks in the country. The event that started at Tulane University in 1996 moved to the current location on Nicholls’ campus in 2005.

Colorado’s ties to the Manning family go back over the past two decades. Coach Mike MacIntyre and newly-hired Buffs assistant Kurt Roper recruited Eli as assistants at Mississippi in 1999. MacIntyre spent time coaching the Rebels’ wide receivers and defensive backs with Roper being Manning’s main position coach tutor.

Montez becomes the second CU quarterback to attend the academy during MacIntyte’s tenure. Sefo Liufau impressed his peers in 2014, but his performance was overshadowed by Oregon State’s Sean Mannion who won the overall competition.

Here’s the entire list of 2018’s Manning Passing Academy (Alphabetical Order):

Jonathan Banks, Tulane*

Mike Beaudry, West Florida

Jake Bentley, South Carolina*

David Blough, Purdue*

Jake Browning, Washington*

Danny Cameron, New Mexico Highlands

Joe Carbone, Stony Brook

Caleb Evans, UL Monroe

Ryan Finley, North Carolina State*

Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State*

Chase Fourcade, Nicholls State*

Jake Fromm, Georgia

Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee

Justice Hansen, Arkansas State

Devlin Hodges, Samford

Alex Hornibrook, Wisconsin

Jalen Hurts, Alabama*

Tyree Jackson, Buffalo

Josh Jackson, Virginia Tech

Daniel Jones, Duke*

Cole Kelley, Arkansas

Harry Kraft, Colby College

Drew Lock, Missouri

Trace McSorley, Penn State

McKenzie Milton, Central Florida

Gardner Minshew, Washington State

Stephen Montez, Colorado

Riley Neal, Ball State

Frank Nutile, Temple

Harry Satterwhite, West Alabama

Kyle Shurmer, Vanderbilt*

Easton Stick, North Dakota State

Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss

James Tabary, McNeese State

Khalil Tate, Arizona

Chason Virgil, Southeastern

Danny Williams, Stevenson University

Brandon Wimbush, Notre Dame

*- Returning players