Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker Shows off Arm at Manning Passing Academy

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker went through his paces among some of the best college quarterbacks in the game.

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Every summer there are certain opportunities that present themselves to college quarterbacks. The biggest is an invitation to the Manning Passing Academy.

Based in Thibodaux, La., on the campus of Nicholls State, the annual event his hosted the Manning family of quarterbacks, including Archie, Peyton and Eli. This year’s even was a bit unique because one of the invited quarterbacks was Cooper Manning’s son, Arch, who is the starting quarterback at Texas.

An invitation to the Manning Passing Academy is like a golden ticket. It's an opportunity to commiserate with some of the best quarterbacks in college football and a chance to pick the brains of Peyton Manning, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and Eli Manning, a potential Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker would have been unwise to turn down the invitation. That's why he was in Thibodaux this weekend participating in the annual event.

Drew Mestemaker at Manning Passing Academy

Here’s some throws from the Manning Passing Academy, who STANDS out? 👀 pic.twitter.com/1DnQDobVuS

— The Verdin Verdict (@verdinverdict) June 27, 2026

In a clip of a workout posted by The Verdin Verdict, Mestemaker could be seen throwing long sideline passes to a receiver. Also included in the clip were Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin.

That’s a list of potential Heisman Trophy candidates for the next two seasons. Mendoza is the. Younger brother of current winner Fernando Mendoza.

Many of those quarterbacks were highly touted recruits coming out of high school. Mestemaker was not, which makes his rise more remarkable. After leaving Vandergrift High School in Austin, Texas, he went to North Texas as a walk-on and redshirted under head coach Eric Morris, who is now his coach at OSU.

With the Mean Green in 2025 he helped them to a 12-2 record and an invitation to the American Conference championship game, where they lost to Tulane. He was the NCAA FBS statistical champion in passing yards (4,379), passing yards per game (312.8), total offense (4,468) and yards per pass attempt (9.46) and was second in the country with 32 passing touchdowns.

His growth has been tremendous and it’s one of the many reasons he followed Morris to OSU. The head coach and his staff are partially responsible for it. With Mestemaker leading the Cowboys, the hope is that they can put last year’s 1-11 season behind them.

The redshirt sophomore quarterback gives the Stillwater locals plenty of reason to hope. His invitation to the Manning Passing Academy was just more validation that he’s on the right path.