Manu Plays Well, Still Has UW Decision to Make Soon

With a towel draped around his neck, Jacob Manu was done for the day. Yet with his piercing eyes and occasional fidget, the University of Washington linebacker acted as if he could be called on to play another defensive series at any minute.

Whenever he was on the field on Saturday against Maryland, the 5-foot-11, 225-pound senior was the best defensive player for the Huskies, helping them battle back from an ominous 20-point deficit and claim a 24-20 victory.

His range was impressive, his physicality over the top, which made his situation all the more curious as he continues on.

Manu could come all the way back from a knee injury and surgery to re-establish himself, only to possibly to get shut down in two weeks.

"I don't know, that's something I've got to talk to coach Fisch about," Manu said. "But I'm here if the team needs me."

Against Maryland, he did things no other linebackers did during the game.

Near the end of the first quarter, he sprinted halfway across the field to the far sideline, muscled his way past a blocker and dropped wide receiver Jalil Farooq for a 3-yard loss with an emphatic hit.

Early in the fourth quarter, Manu got out in the flat in a hurry once more and blew up another pass play, dropping running back Iverson Howard after a 1-yard gain that might have gone a lot farther against someone else.

Still on a play count in his second game back, Manu finished with 6 tackles and spearheaded a defense that shut down Maryland and held it scoreless in the second half on all except the opening series.

Jacob Manu made his first appearance and start for the Huskies against Ohio State. | Dave Sizer photo

His situation is this for the Huskies: do you have him play on this fall without game restrictions when a full season for Manu in 2026 might benefit him and the UW more?

By pushing on without interruption, the one-time All-Pac-12 linebacker and league's leading tackler -- 116 in 2023 -- will end up playing two partial seasons.

By returning in 2026 and playing out a full schedule, Manu possibly could line up for an even better UW football team, cash in on name, image and likeness opportunities much greater than he has now and enhance his NFL draft prospects.

Jacob Manu tries to fight his way through the UW offensive line. | Dave Sizer photo

For now, he can play against Rutgers and Michigan over the next two weeks and then make a firm decision on what he's going to do.

Convincing Manu to sit down for the final six regular season games -- he can still play in a bowl game without any eligibility concerns -- might be the hard part, no matter how many long-term gains are available to him if he does.

It could come down to this: if the Huskies beat Michigan on the road and are 6-1, a big ask, there's probably no way the linebacker would be willing to back away.

Yet if the UW doesn't survive its trip to Ann Arbor, Manu might be persuaded to look at the big picture and make the most of it with anther season.

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