Washington Senior LB Manu Inked Up, Ready to Leave it All on the Field

To say Washington Huskies linebacker Jacob Manu wears his emotions on his sleeves would be an understatement.

The 5-foot-9, 222-pound senior instead lets the ink on his arms and legs, which feature the Flag of Tonga on his left arm and a multitude of intertwined tattoos on his right arm, to tell one part of his story while he delivers hits on the football field that explain why he lets tattoos do most of the talking.

Manu, a native of Santa Ana, California, transferred to UW last January, but played in just four regular-season games to preserve his redshirt year of eligibility, a plan both head coach Jedd Fisch, the standout linebacker, and his family agreed to before he ever suited up in purple and gold.

When he was on the field in 2025, Manu showed why the Huskies coaching staff—both originally at Arizona and then again under new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and first-year inside linebackers coach Brian Odom—was so enamored with his ability, even coming off a season-ending ACL injury.

”It was hard,” Manu said after practice early in spring camp when asked what it was like watching from the sideline for the majority of last season.

Manu played five games in 2025, including four starts against Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan, and UCLA, along with the Bucked Up L.A. Bowl against Boise State. In those nearly half dozen appearances, the ex-Arizona captain made 24 total tackles with a tackle for loss and a pass defended, but the minimal statistical production doesn't do justice to what the Huskies expect to get from the veteran linebacker this season.

"He's been a blessing to be around," Odom said before the start of spring camp on the veteran. "In the meeting room, he's awesome. He does some things as good as anybody I've ever been around. But in terms of being able to have him healthy for the full season, I think that was important for him. To have an offseason that he got a full offseason leading into his last year. I anticipate him taking full advantage of it."

So far, more than halfway through spring camp, Manu has made his presence felt during multiple 11-on-11 scrimmage periods in practice, including preventing a goal-line touchdown pass from junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. on Thursday.

Around his coaches and teammates, Manu is the positive veteran always smiling despite being the shortest defender on the Huskies' roster. Although it was frustrating to have to jog out of the tunnel without his helmet and pads for most of last season, waiting for his story to be told is something he's actually rather familiar with.

His tribal tattoo, a three-quarter bicep sleeve, took 14 hours over two sessions.