Eli Manning tries out for Penn State as undercover walk-on
Eli Manning tries out for Penn State under ‘Chad Powers’ name originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Eli Manning is going back to school … kind of.
The two-time Super Bowl champion went undercover as walk-on “Chad Powers” for the Penn State football program. His tryout was shown on an episode of ESPN’s “Eli Places,” and it featured plenty of hilarious moments.
Check out a clip from the segment below:
Manning got things started by putting on a floppy wig and fake mustache.
“If you throw as well as that mustache looks, I think you’re gonna make the team,” Peyton Manning said on a video call with his brother.
Once he got into the facility, his appearance was a popular topic of discussion.
“It looks like he’s stuck in the ‘80s, poor guy,” one Penn State coach said.
When it came to actual football, Powers said he was rather inexperienced. He told one coach that he homeschooled and “never played ball,” crediting his mom as a great coach for him but not-so-great teacher.
Manning was a standout at Ole Miss before being selected by the then-San Diego Chargers with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He then spent his full 16-year NFL with the New York Giants, collecting two Super Bowl MVP trophies and making four Pro Bowls along the way.
Manning knows a thing or two about throwing. Turns out Powers does, too.
“Not just good-looking, I can throw it, baby,” he said while warming up.
As part of the tryout, Powers also had to run a 40-yard dash. Manning ran a 4.90 at the 2004 NFL combine, and he tried to pump himself up to go even faster at Penn State.
“Chad’s gonna run. Chad run fast. Fast Chad,” Powers said prior to his 40. “This flow might slow me down, too. It’s good, though.”
He must have been right about the hair, because he wound up finishing the run in 5.49 seconds, much to the dismay of Penn State head coach James Franklin.
Before leaving the tryout, Powers couldn’t help but take a shot at the quarterback who lost two Super Bowls to the Giants.
“(Tom) Brady can play ‘til he’s 44, Chad can play ‘til he’s 26, you know?” he said.
To check out Powers’ full tryout, click here.
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