Heisman Trophy winner and Peyton Manning draw young quarterback out of his shell

In many ways, Dalton Durossette is miscast as one of the Stanislaus District’s top young prospects.

Talent pours out of the Ceres High sophomore ... even if the words don’t.

He doesn’t seek the spotlight, and often looks to his mother – former Ceres High softball coach Angela Durossette – for help during interviews.

In a world where many of his teen-aged contemporaries scream “Look at me,” Durossette looks the other way.

“I’m a little shy,” he says.

And quite talented, too.

In the spring, Durossette, a 6-foot-2, 203-pound pitcher/third baseman, announced his presence by no-hitting Livingston in a Western Athletic Conference game. He won seven of his 10 starts and finished with a .410 batting average.

This fall, he’ll take the reins of the Bulldogs’ varsity football team, filling the void left under center by stat monster Chris Lubinsky.

Lubinsky led the District in passing yards (2,918) and touchdowns (28) as a senior, but Ceres missed the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the 12th straight season.

Is Durossette the agent of change?

Naturally, he isn’t saying, but his recent travels suggest better days are ahead for the long-suffering Bulldog football program.

Durossette recently returned from the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where he spent four days under the watchful eye of current Division I quarterbacks, a Heisman Trophy winner and the camp host, Peyton Manning.

The camp welcomed 1,200 of the top young talent in North America, including approximately 1,000 quarterbacks.

Ironically, Durossette was paired with Beyer High junior varsity quarterback Baker Melendez, a WAC rival beginning in 2018. Their group counselors included QBs from Texas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Indiana.

Melendez, 15, said the camp provided the tools to succeed on and off the field. Campers floated between on-field workouts and classroom sessions with topics ranging from character to nutrition.

“I feel like I’ve become a better quarterback,” Melendez said. “I’ve learned new drills, about stepping up in the pocket and completing a better ball. They also taught us about being a leader and a good person. They talked about the things you need to be a good quarterback and person inside and outside football.”

Durossette was intrigued by the demands of college football and the story of its most recent Heisman winner. The 15-year-old had a chance encounter with Louisville junior Lamar Jackson, who spoke candidly about opportunity and effort.

Standing eye to eye with Durossette, his message was this: Don’t let your recruitment determine your ceiling.

“He said Louisville was his only D-I offer,” Durossette said, “and that his family couldn’t afford to pay for (school), so he had to take it.”

Durossette also spoke to Manning, breaking one his personal policies in the process: “I don’t like to go up to people and start conversations.”

For Manning, he made an exception.

He approached the two-time Super Bowl champion during a break in Saturday’s practice and asked him about a mutual friend, former Indianapolis Colt offensive lineman Kyle DeVan.

A lifelong Tom Brady fan, Durossette admitted to being starstruck by the former Denver Broncos and Colts signal caller.

“Meeting Peyton Manning was a privilege,” he said.

Durossette started for the junior varsity last team last fall and played in the shadows of Lubinsky, a strong-armed, charismatic all-star.

In two seasons, Lubinsky threw for 5,595 yards and 54 touchdowns, completing 65 percent of his passed with just 16 interceptions. He capped his career with a touchdown pass in the North/South Rotary All-Star Game last weekend.

Durossette isn’t concerned about being as prolific as Lubinsky.

Instead, the humble giant would like to see the Bulldogs strike more of a balance under second-year offensive coordinator Brandon Morning.

“We’re going to hopefully run the ball more,” Durossette said. “I think we have one of the best running backs (Andrew Gibson) in the area coming back and our JV line was pretty good. We ran the ball a lot. If they continue to improve, our run game should work.”

First things first, though. Durossette and the Bulldogs’ other QBs will be tested at the Modesto Junior College Passing Tournament on Saturday, July 8.

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Heisman Trophy winner and Peyton Manning draw young quarterback out of his shell."