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Fifita will take part in the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, Thursday through Sunday. The four-day camp — hosted by NFL legends Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Archie Manning — features the top college quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and wide receivers.

Fifita will compete alongside Arch Manning (Texas), Drew Allar (Penn State), Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), John Mateer (Oklahoma) and Demond Williams (Washington), who signed with Arizona in 2024 before following former Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch to UW.

Fifita is the fourth Arizona quarterback to participate in the Manning Passing Academy, joining Nick Foles, Khalil Tate and Jayden de Laura. Foles and Doege were roommates at the Manning Passing Academy, when Doege was the quarterback at Texas Tech.

Foles and Doege were a part of a formidable group that also had NFL quarterbacks in Andrew Luck (Stanford), Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M), Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State), Geno Smith (West Virginia), Kellen Moore (Boise State) and Kirk Cousins (Michigan State).

“There were some real guys, so we had some fun out there, for sure,� Doege said.

For Doege, who didn’t venture off to football camps outside of West Texas, “I didn’t train in Dallas or in a major city, so I didn’t know what other guys look like,� he said.

“There’s segments in the camp where you get to throw with guys at the camp like Peyton, Eli or whoever the backup quarterback was with the Giants,� Doege said. “And then you had Top 50 quarterbacks. It was a good confidence booster going into the rest of the summer because I stepped away from that thinking, ‘Oh, I can throw with any of these dudes. Toe-to-toe, I can go out there and compete.’

“That’s going to be huge for Noah,� Doege said. “It’s good for him to go toe-to-toe with some of the best names in the country. If he does what I think he’s going to do and he throws the ball how I know he can throw the football, he’s going to come away from that camp thinking, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m the best in the country when it comes to throwing the football.’

“I’m excited for him. It’s a great experience to be around Peyton, Eli, Archie, Cooper. You might hear something Peyton said and you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. You might hear something Eli said and remember it for the rest of your life. It’s going to be an awesome experience for him.�

Doege joined “Spears & Ali� on ESPN Tucson this week to talk about his experience at the Manning Passing Academy, chasing alligators with a Super Bowl MVP and what makes Fifita a standout quarterback.

Was there a particular Manning family member you became close with during the camp?

A: “You talk to everybody. They do a great job of getting to know everyone in the camp. The guys in the south know a little bit more. The greatest thing about Noah is everyone knows who Noah is. When I took this job, some of my friends who are football junkies were like, ‘Dude, your quarterback is a dude.’ They know who Noah is and he has a national name.

“The cool thing about the whole experience for me was when we got done, all the Manning brothers were awesome. After a game on a Saturday night, I would wake up on Sunday morning to a text message from Archie Manning telling me, ‘Hey, man, I watched your game. You crushed it. Great job.’ Very simple. It’s cool to wake up Sunday morning to a text message from Archie Manning telling you how great you played. It’s a cool experience overall. You get to meet a lot of great people and the Manning family is obviously elite.�

How was the experience as Foles’ roommate and spending a few days with the former Arizona quarterback?

A: “The first time I met him, it was in our dorm room. It was a typical old-school dorm room. It’s two beds, it’s tight and there’s not much room at all. He walked up and I was like, ‘This guy is pretty big.’ He lays on the bed and he couldn’t fit on the bed. He was so long, he couldn’t fit on the bed. Within 10 minutes, we clicked. We’re built the same way, we process the same way. Within 10 minutes, he’s drawing up football plays because he’s obsessed with football.

“He was a great person to be around. We spent the whole camp together. We were together 24-7. I gravitated towards him like all of his teammates. He’s a great leader, he’s a great dude and he’s got an infectious personality. Like I said, he was obsessed with football, and I’m obsessed with football, too. We could talk football for hours.

“When football was over, we went and chased some alligators together, too. There’s no surprise that he’s had the success he’s had and he is who he is now. I was fired up to have that experience with him.�

Chasing alligators? You were actually hunting alligators?

A: “Yeah, we were hunting gators, man. It was late at night, we had a spotlight, we had a couple of local guys with us and we were chasing alligators.�

How many alligators did you catch?

A: “We caught one. It wasn’t very big, but we caught one. My favorite part about the whole night is that we go gator hunting and then we’re hungry. It’s a smaller town, so there’s one pizza parlor still open. We had some other guys with us. ... We’re at the pizza place and there’s Andrew Luck buying everyone pizza.�

What was your favorite part of the whole week?

A: “For me, it was thinking that I can do this. It was a huge confidence booster for me going into the season. ... As a quarterback, you naturally have confidence, but it’s good to see that I can throw with Ryan Tannehill and Nick Foles. You’re getting coaching points from Hall of Famers. You might throw a post and you throw a dime and you hear Peyton Manning go, ‘Nice ball!’ And I’m like, ‘Hell yeah!’ That’s something I’ll never forget. Getting to meet those high-level players and competing with them, that was a big-time experience for me.�

When the Manning family inquired about Fifita as a quarterback, what did you tell them?

A: “I’ve already had this conversation with Archie. I tell him exactly what I tell everyone else: he’s 5-9, but he plays 6-5. He plays 6-5 because he has a warrior’s mentality, he’s got a humble and selfless personality, and he’s got the biggest heart I’ve ever met.

“You can’t break this dude, and he loves everyone on his team. You add that to the fact that he’s probably one of the more natural throwers I’ve ever been around, and is extremely accurate and can process any type of information you give him.

“On top of that, he might be (one of the) hardest workers I’ve been around in a film-room setting. His notes are elite, color-coded and the penmanship is on point. Everything you say, he’s writing down. He’s going to check you on it. If there’s a point that I forget or kind of breeze over, he’s going to check me on it. ... He’s the ultimate quarterback.

“In my opinion, if Noah Fifita was 6 foot or 6-1, he’d be the best quarterback in the country and everyone would be talking about him. I’m keeping receipts for him. Every list that I see, he’s not on. Top 10 quarterbacks in the country, not on. Top Big 12 quarterbacks in the league, not on. Top 30 quarterbacks in the country, he’s not on. I’m keeping those receipts, because he’s about to shock the world.�

EA Sports announced that each team in the “College Football 26� video game will have its head coach and both coordinators in the game. How do you feel about being in a video game, especially considering you were in NCAA Football 14 as a player at Texas Tech?

A: “I’ve had a bunch of recruits tell me, ‘You’re in a video game!’ I just hope I call good plays on there. It’s awesome and I’m excited about it. As a player, I was way more excited than a coach. Growing up and being a part of the game was special.

“I remember when it first came out, we all ran to buy it to see our ratings. Half the team felt disrespected. That was a big discussion in the locker room, how the speed or the awareness was disrespectful. It’s fun to clown on your teammates who felt disrespected by their ratings.

“As a player, it’s a dream come true. Now, it’s just about calling good plays.�