Eli Manning's face was one of the most recognizable in the NFL during his playing days (you know exactly which face I'm talking about), and yet he still went undercover and unrecognized at a Penn State walk-on tryout in a hilarious video as part of his ESPN show, "Eli's Places."
Manning hit Happy Valley under the alias 'Chad Powers' with a sweet new head of hair and a totally believable mustache. With each drill he went through, the comments just kept getting funnier.
Chad Powers Becomes a Penn State Legend
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The former New York Giants passer met up with Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin explaining he wanted the full walk-on experience, something he never got as a star at Ole Miss.
Make-up artists transformed Manning into the one and only Chad Powers, a substitute teacher, part-time bartender and full-time goofball. A Facetime session with big brother Peyton Manning was all Powers needed to be ready to go.
From the moment he steps into the practice facility, it's pure comedy. Here are some of his best lines:
"Chad run fast. Fast Chad. Think fast, run fast."
"They better be able to run fast," he said about the wide receivers at the tryout, "I've got a hose."
"I was homeschooled, so I never played ball. I watched a lot of film though. My mom was my coach and my teacher."
"If Brady can play until he's 44, Chad can play until he's 26."
At the end, Powers reveals his true identity t the surprise of most of the guys there. I'm surprised more didn't recognize him earlier. The throwing motion alone should've tipped off some. To make things even better, Manning speaks to the team and helps surprise Penn State walk-on Barney Amor with a scholarship.
I don?t always dress up like my dad, but when I do?. I go by Chad Powers pic.twitter.com/EPcqUjvxjy
— Eli Manning (@EliManning) September 20, 2022
Look, if I'm Penn State and I need a way to hang with Ohio State this year, I'm calling Chad frickin' Powers (no offense to current quarterback Sean Clifford). I'm sure they can get a fake student ID or something.
