Among the first questions asked of Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen after the first two days of fall football practice concerned his trip to the Manning Passing Academy in June. I waited to ask my questions about summer camp — not that camp.
I wanted to talk to Allen about the camp that teammates think has made the biggest difference in Allen. Yes, Allen is a much different quarterback than in past seasons. His arm is quicker, stronger, the footwork is better. His release is beautiful. His timing is better.
There was great anticipation in the way true freshman Cole Kelley gunned the ball, but the quarterback with the best arm — and with the best velocity — is Allen.
The Manning camp is a big deal and Allen was excited to discuss all of the events, including getting to know all of the Mannings. He stumbled on how to describe the phone call he received from Archie Manning, the patriarch of the family.
“Archie, I mean Mr. Manning, when he called, that was pretty special to start,” Allen said. “I was so excited to get the invitation. Then to work with all of the Mannings. They are all there, Eli, Peyton, they all are heavily involved.”
Whether or not Austin expected to receive the invitation is unclear. There is a clear relationship between his family and the Mannings since older brother Brandon had attended the camp in previous summers. Bobby Allen, their dad, also has been to the camp, invited to observe last year.
“I learned so much,” Allen said. “I guess just being around the other quarterbacks was one of the things I knew. I knew some of them from other camps. Josh Dobbs from Tennessee and I were together years ago at the Elite 11 Camp and so we’ve been friends since then. But you want to see how you stack up against the others.”
But again, that’s not the camp I wanted to discuss. I wanted to find out about the May trip Allen made to Colorado to attend the Ultimate Training Camp, the wonderful leadership training held by Athletes In Action. Around 30 UA athletes from many sports went to the camp in Colorado Springs conducted by AIA, part of the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry across the country.
Allen was joined by several Razorback football players, including other offensive regulars Dan Skipper and Cody Hollister. All reported life-changing experiences. But it’s most noticable in Allen just because the quarterback is clearly the leader of the team in most circumstances.
It didn’t take Allen long to light up when talking about the UTC experience. He raved about the a 24-hour ordeal that tests physical and mental skills as no one can imagine. The physical work is to the point of ultimate fatigue, so that faith and leadership can be tested.
“I’ve never done anything like it,” Allen said. “It changes your life. It changes the way you view physical workouts. When I got back to campus, what we do with our strength and conditioning program seems easy. I sailed through that stuff after going to UTC.
“I’m a different person. It was a life changing experience. Nothing I’ve done is even close to that. I learned to lean on my faith in everything I do. I think the people around me see the difference.”
Linebacker Brooks Ellis knows Allen as well as anyone on the team. He saw the change and mentioned it right away to his buddy. He said to God be the glory. That’s easy to say after you have been through something like UTC.
“Austin said he came back a different person,” Ellis said. “It was easy to see, too. I saw a different person, a more confident person. He said it helped him a lot and I know it did.”
That’s not to say the Manning Passing Academy didn’t provide Allen insight into playing quarterback. But it was the UTC experience that he rated tops.
“I’m thankful for Coach (Bret) Bielema because he believes in the camp and allowed us to go,” Allen said of UTC. “I know he saw benefits when he was at Wisconsin. Our guys have been able to go here in the past. I really thought it important to go and I’m so glad I did it.
“We learned what real physical fatigue is and how to handle it when you are hit by it. It helps you understand how to push through workouts. You are going to go through fatigue late in games. Your mind will understand how to handle it.”
So when Allen steps up in critical situations this season, there will be some who give credit to UA coaches along with the instructors who worked with him at the Manning Passing Academy. Austin Allen may point to something else, and it might be to the sky.