THIBODAUX, La. | In his second straight year at the Manning Passing Academy, University of Alabama senior quarterback Greg McElroy, like his college counterparts, is stuck in the middle.
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As a counselor, he’s older and experienced enough to instruct some of the 1,000-plus high school campers who converge on the Nicholls State University campus for the four-day event hosted by the first family of quarterbacks each summer.
“The great thing about coaching the kids is I see a little bit of myself in every player,” McElroy said. “It’s fun for us seeing it from a different point of view because usually we are the people making that progress.”
As an aspiring NFL quarterback though, McElroy is younger and inexperienced enough to take advice from NFL and Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.
“I have talked to Peyton on a couple different occasions,” McElroy said. “I texted him a couple weeks before the national championship game and asked (for advice), and Eli has been there as well. I will definitely get in their ear and learn from them the best way I know how because we can learn a lot from their preparation and experience. I will question them and learn as much as I can in my four days here.”
It’s been quite a year since McElroy was last in Thibodaux, La.
“It’s been interesting,” McElroy said. “I have met so many great people over the last year. Spending time with Archie (Manning) and Peyton and Eli has added to that experience. It’s been enjoyable, and definitely something I will look back on for years to come when I am old and gray. I am so proud to have the opportunity.”
McElroy is coming off a 14-0 season with the Crimson Tide and helped the school to its 13th national championship and first since 1992. As far as repeating as national champions, McElroy (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) said it’s not easy to say that it will happen.
“It’s tough to put expectations on ourselves because each team has its own identity,” McElroy said. “We have a lot of guys coming back. The nucleus of our offense is coming back. We have really grown a lot as a team and as individuals over the last 12 months. You can’t say we are going to do what we did last year. You just don’t know. So many things have to go your way and so many balls have to bounce your way.”
McElroy, who is a counselor along with other top college quarterbacks from around the country like Kellen Moore (Boise State), Case Keenum (Houston), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Taylor Potts (Texas Tech), Christian Ponder (Florida State), Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M), Andy Dalton (TCU) and others, said he feels this Alabama team has grown very close.
“I think we have such a great group of guys,” McElroy said. “The team is so close that we think it’s going to allow us to be successful this season. Right now we are focussed strictly on individual improvement. As we grow as a team and get into August, we’ll really try and emphasize collective improvement and team unity, but as of right now, everyone is just trying to make their own strides and make the changes that will allow them to be successful.”
Pushing McElroy at the quarterback position for Alabama over the spring has been a pair of young players in redshirt freshman A.J. McCarron and true freshman Phillip Sims.“A.J. has come a long way as far as his maturity and ability to understand the offense. He will continue to grow into a great player, and so will Phil,” McElroy said. “I look forward to both those guys, after I’m gone, seeing where their careers lead them. I look forward to really supporting them. Anything I can do to help them out, I’ll be there for them. I am sure they’ll be ready to go come their time.” Alabama opens its season at home Sept. 4 against San Jose State, but right now, McElroy is enjoying helping the guys a few years younger than McCarron and Sims, but who hold the same sort of aspirations.
“We develop great relationships with the kids, and that’s why we are all here,” McElroy said. “We want to make an impact on somebody, and the only way to do that is to encourage them the same way we were encouraged to be successful at their age.”
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As a counselor, he’s older and experienced enough to instruct some of the 1,000-plus high school campers who converge on the Nicholls State University campus for the four-day event hosted by the first family of quarterbacks each summer.
“The great thing about coaching the kids is I see a little bit of myself in every player,” McElroy said. “It’s fun for us seeing it from a different point of view because usually we are the people making that progress.”
As an aspiring NFL quarterback though, McElroy is younger and inexperienced enough to take advice from NFL and Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.
“I have talked to Peyton on a couple different occasions,” McElroy said. “I texted him a couple weeks before the national championship game and asked (for advice), and Eli has been there as well. I will definitely get in their ear and learn from them the best way I know how because we can learn a lot from their preparation and experience. I will question them and learn as much as I can in my four days here.”
It’s been quite a year since McElroy was last in Thibodaux, La.
“It’s been interesting,” McElroy said. “I have met so many great people over the last year. Spending time with Archie (Manning) and Peyton and Eli has added to that experience. It’s been enjoyable, and definitely something I will look back on for years to come when I am old and gray. I am so proud to have the opportunity.”
McElroy is coming off a 14-0 season with the Crimson Tide and helped the school to its 13th national championship and first since 1992. As far as repeating as national champions, McElroy (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) said it’s not easy to say that it will happen.
“It’s tough to put expectations on ourselves because each team has its own identity,” McElroy said. “We have a lot of guys coming back. The nucleus of our offense is coming back. We have really grown a lot as a team and as individuals over the last 12 months. You can’t say we are going to do what we did last year. You just don’t know. So many things have to go your way and so many balls have to bounce your way.”
McElroy, who is a counselor along with other top college quarterbacks from around the country like Kellen Moore (Boise State), Case Keenum (Houston), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Taylor Potts (Texas Tech), Christian Ponder (Florida State), Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M), Andy Dalton (TCU) and others, said he feels this Alabama team has grown very close.
“I think we have such a great group of guys,” McElroy said. “The team is so close that we think it’s going to allow us to be successful this season. Right now we are focussed strictly on individual improvement. As we grow as a team and get into August, we’ll really try and emphasize collective improvement and team unity, but as of right now, everyone is just trying to make their own strides and make the changes that will allow them to be successful.”
Pushing McElroy at the quarterback position for Alabama over the spring has been a pair of young players in redshirt freshman A.J. McCarron and true freshman Phillip Sims.“A.J. has come a long way as far as his maturity and ability to understand the offense. He will continue to grow into a great player, and so will Phil,” McElroy said. “I look forward to both those guys, after I’m gone, seeing where their careers lead them. I look forward to really supporting them. Anything I can do to help them out, I’ll be there for them. I am sure they’ll be ready to go come their time.” Alabama opens its season at home Sept. 4 against San Jose State, but right now, McElroy is enjoying helping the guys a few years younger than McCarron and Sims, but who hold the same sort of aspirations.
“We develop great relationships with the kids, and that’s why we are all here,” McElroy said. “We want to make an impact on somebody, and the only way to do that is to encourage them the same way we were encouraged to be successful at their age.”
