Kevin Jennings Returns To Manning Passing Academy

Kevin Jennings is headed back to the Manning Passing Academy, and the timing couldn’t be much better for SMU.

The Mustangs’ star quarterback will return to Thibodaux, Louisiana, as a counselor at the 30th annual Manning Passing Academy, which runs June 25-28 at Nicholls State.

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The event is expected to bring in more than 1,300 campers, 120 coaches and 40 college quarterbacks, making it one of the biggest quarterback gatherings on the summer calendar.

For Jennings, it’s another chance to stand in the same room with some of the biggest names in college football.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, Georgia’s Gunner Stockton and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss are also expected to attend.

That’s heavyweight company, and Jennings belongs in it.

Last season, Jennings started all 13 games for SMU and threw for 3,641 yards, ranking third in the ACC and seventh nationally.

His 26 touchdown passes were also third in the league and 16th in FBS.

SMU finished 9-4, which felt short of the program’s loftier expectations, but the Mustangs still landed wins over Miami, Clemson and Top 25 Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.

Now the pressure gets louder.

SMU opens the 2026 season at Florida State on Labor Day night, then gets Louisville early as well.

If Jennings wants real Heisman Trophy chatter and SMU wants to crash the ACC Championship race, September gives them a massive runway.

Head coach Rhett Lashlee knows how valuable it is to have Jennings back for his third year as the starter, especially after the quarterback stayed loyal despite chances to chase more money elsewhere.

“The best part is having someone like Kevin who graduated in December and he always wanted to be at SMU. He always wanted to be in Dallas. Did he have opportunities? You bet,” Lashlee said.

“He has both of the last three years. Not once did he ever come in and not say this is where I wanna be. Said this is where I wanna be. I wanna be at SMU, I wanna be in Dallas, this is my home, this is my school.”

Lashlee also sees a quarterback thinking bigger than one season or one payday.

“I think Kevin does, besides being really loyal, and to not only his teammates, but to his school, his city, his coaches, whatever. I think he plays the long game, like he knows, okay, we’ve gone to the playoffs.

"We beat Miami, we’ve done some of the parts, we gotta put it all together in one year, but we’ve proven what we can do here. Then you see someone like Indiana go win it all, like, okay, why not us?”

Jennings is saying the same thing, only with less coach-speak.

“I’m not just trying to get back to the playoff,” Jennings said. “We’re trying to go all the way. That’s our main goal. We’re not trying to just go there — we’re trying to compete, finish and win at a high level. That’s the number one goal. Just to put SMU on the map even more.”

That’s the edge of this whole story.

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Jennings isn’t just going to the Manning Passing Academy as a counselor. He’s going as one of the faces of a program trying to prove SMU isn’t cute, lucky or temporary.

The Mustangs want the whole thing, and Jennings is the one holding the keys.

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