The Grove Report

Former Rebel Eli Manning Puts Penn State Punter on Full Scholarship

The Nittany Lions made the announcement on Thursday.

John Macon Gillespie

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Eli Manning had a storied football career, first with the Ole Miss Rebels followed by winning two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.

Although Manning was a star quarterback out of high school when he signed with Ole Miss, he understands the struggle that some players have on college rosters, namely those who are not on scholarship.

He remedied that problem for a player with the Penn State Nittany Lions this week.

"The mindset is: can you get better every single day?" Manning said. "There's got to be something you can improve on. When the team comes together and you buy in, that's when great things happen.

"In the NFL, you have free agents. In college, you have walk-ons. Walk-ons are important, but it's pretty damn cool when you're on scholarship right now, right?"

Following Manning's statement, the Nittany Lion roster erupted to celebrate this moment with their teammate. 

Manning, whose No. 10 jersey was retired by Ole Miss last season, was in Happy Valley to film an upcoming episode of his television series "Eli's Places," and he commented on the experiece after awarding the scholarship.

"These guys, they're trying to earn a spot and play for Penn State," Manning said. "I came onto campus as a college recruit to Penn State football camp. I had never been to the Northeast at that time, and that was my one visit up here."

The Nittany Lions will open their season on a Thursday when they face Purdue on Sept. 1, but Manning's Rebels will open two days later when they play host to the Troy Trojans. Ole Miss' game will be televised on SEC Network.

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John Macon Gillespie
JOHN MACON GILLESPIE

John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.

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