Manu Goes From Underdog to Top Dog With Huskies

The linebacker has bounced back from a knee injury to become a team leader.

Jacob Manu is set to lead the Husky defense. | Dave Sizer photo

As University of Washington football players line up on defense, you can hear Jacob Manu's squeaky voice above all others reverberating through Husky Stadium, demonstratively putting guys in position.

He's not unlike a traffic cop in Times Square, chomping down on a whistle and waving his arms wildly, making sure everybody gets through the intersection.

And when the ball is snapped, the 5-foot-10, 225-pound Manu chases it like a madman sideline to sideline before making contact. And it's no love pat either.

No one hits harder on this Husky team than this compact player from Santa Ana, California, who dropped running back Brian Bonner Jr. to the ground in a fearsome manner in fall camp and then just stood over him surveying the damage.

The verbage, contact and ferocity of this guy is over the top for a reason.

"I've always been an underdog my whole life," Manu said, leading up to Sunday's Apple Cup. "I don't mind proving people wrong -- and that's what I plan to do here."

Jacob Manu awaits the next play in the UW Spring Game. | Dave Sizer photo

This is a guy who wasn't recruited much at all, most likely because of his size. That changed when Jedd Fisch and his Arizona coaches just happened to see him dominate a game for Servite High School in the Los Angeles area after coming out to watch some of his teammates who already were committed to the Wildcats.

After he led the Pac-12 in tackles with 116 in 2023 and earned a first-team, all-conference selection, one might have felt Manu finally had shed that underdog label for good.

Yet he wasn't able to distance himself from it. More challenging circumstances got in the way.

Manu tore up a knee against Colorado that forced him to miss the final five games of the 2024 season for Arizona and then he appeared in only five games this past season for the Huskies after transferring and recovering.

Watching him do his rehab in Montlake, Manu was extremely businesslike to the point fellow injured teammates took notice and trained alongside him.

During this recent fall camp, the linebacker talked about players hitting the wall and needing to fight through it, which apparently wasn't a problem for him. He tried to help them through it.

"This is the time that people get tired and we kind of preach to them you have to try to keep that same energy every day," Manu said. "Stay motivated and understand our 'why.' "

Jacob Manu is shown in his Husky debut against Ohio State. | Dave Sizer photo

While leading a talented and veteran linebacker corps, with everybody fighting to start opposite him, Manu welcomes the overall defensive einforcements such as linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah and Mississippi State transfer Kai McClendon, both back from knee injuries.

"He's the same guy and he's going to compete with us," Manu said of Al-Uqdah. "He loves to compete and talk trash with us."

Then there's the 6-foot-2, 320-pound McClendon, who gives the Huskies an SEC pass rusher and will play right away.

"It's going to be a good time when he's out there on the field," Manu said. "He brings that energy. He brings a little juice to the D-line and we're going to need it."

This is the mindset of the perpetual underdog who everybody in a Husky uniform seems to respect unilaterally for his approach to the game, which borders on total devotion.

"It feels good just be out here with the boys," Manu said. "I love playing ball."