'Hungry' Arizona football linebacker Jacob Manu leads Pac-12 in tackles so far in 2023

If Jacob Manu stays on the current path he’s on, Arizona’s sophomore linebacker will accomplish a feat that hasn’t been done in nearly a decade by a Wildcat: lead the Pac-12 in tackles.

The last UA player to lead the conference in tackles was All-American Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Scooby Wright, who also won multiple national awards for his 2014 campaign.

Manu currently leads the conference in tackles (27) and is tied for fourth with four stops for loss. He’s on pace to double his tackle total from a season ago and become the first Wildcat with over 100 tackles in a season since Colin Schooler in 2018.

Manu’s linebacker counterpart Justin Flowe, who started his first game at Arizona in the victory over UTEP on Saturday, is second in the conference in tackles (25) after back-to-back double-digit performances, including 12 at Mississippi State. Pro Football Focus gave Flowe a 77.5 tackling grade for the nonconference schedule. Oddly, Manu has a 48 tackling grade from PFF, which is 22nd on the team, probably because of his 27.3% missed tackle rate. His overall PFF defensive grade (67.1) is 10th on Arizona.

“Just trying to be a leader for my team and be someone they can rely on,” Manu said two weeks ago. “Just do my job on the field — my one-eleventh.”

Coupled with having a nose for tracking the football, Manu’s production stems from the boosted defensive line rotation. Eleven defensive linemen earned snaps on Saturday. The added size and depth from the transfer portal added to the several returners “has really continued to help us,” said Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch.

“So we don’t just have four D-linemen or five D-linemen playing in games, we have 8-10 defensive linemen,” Fisch said. “So when you’re able to start getting them in and out, they’re able to come in fresh. Not just fresh physically but fresh mentally. Like, they’re able to get a few reps on the sideline. Take a few reps, be next to their coach, see it from a different perspective and then go in with a bit more clarity of what’s happening.”

Arizona’s defensive staff is still finding the right balance of snaps to divvy up between the defensive linemen, like edge rusher Taylor Upshaw, who’s recorded 87 combined snaps in the last two games.

“In my eyes, those are a lot of snaps,” Nansen said of Upshaw. “For him to be very productive rushing the passers, we gotta limit those, so that’s why we play so many guys. But when we get down to the red zone, we’re having our best D-line in there.”

For Manu’s notable production, Nansen said, “When you lead the conference in tackles, it tells you how big you are up front, because you’re eating up a lot of double-teams and things like that.”

“The D-line has a lot to do with it,” Nansen said. “You got big nose guards eating up two blocks and three-techniques eating up double-teams, so those (linebackers) should be making plays.”

The front-six defenders working in unison, and “the communication that goes on between the linebackers and the front is critical to the success of the team,” Fisch said.

“I think a lot of it starts with Jacob Manu and his ability to communicate with the front four, as well as (safety) Dalton Johnson and his ability to communicate with the front four and how he wants his defense set,” Fisch added.

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Manu and Johnson’s communication and camaraderie “is really good,” according to Johnson.

“I feel like we’re really connected on the field, and we’re able to tell each other what happened here and we’ll get it fixed pretty quick,” Johnson said. “Same with Flowe. He’s eager to do his job to the highest ability.

“Flowe has really improved. Having those two on the field at the same time, they’re going to make a play," Johnson added. “As a DB, it’s good having linebackers that are going to fill the gaps or be there in coverage.”

Although Manu is a team captain and a mainstay in Arizona’s defense, he “has something to prove every day, so it keeps him hungry to be the best at what he does,” according to Johnson.

Unlike Manu’s Servite High School (Anaheim, California) teammates in wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, tight end Keyan Burnett and quarterback Noah Fifita, the linebacker didn’t enroll early in the spring of 2022. As a true freshman last season, he ascended from scout-team superstar to first-team standout, before becoming a team captain as a sophomore.

“Our first experience with Jacob was in training camp. Where as now, we’ve had him for a whole offseason after being a starter,” Fisch said. “After seeing where he’s going, we’ll see him continue to grow.”

Fisch has “seen incredible growth from Jacob each week, not just last year to this year.”

“The Jacob Manu story is always a good one, because it’s almost hard to believe that he’s still only a true sophomore,” Fisch said. “I feel like we always talk about Jacob and his growth because his growth is happening week-to-week, not just, ‘Wow, I remember back three years ago when...’ Because of his start Week 3 of the season one year ago, we’re really watching his growth happen every single week.

“With Jacob, he’s like a plant you keep watering. He wants more information, he wants to learn about offensive football, he wants to be the type of player that recognizes things happen before they happen and utilize formations to his advantage.”

Extra points

Arizona right guard Raymond Pulido, who missed the first three weeks of the season following a bike accident, “has been cleared to practice (with) full contact,” Fisch said. Arizona offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll said, “the contact adaptation piece (for Pulido) will take about a week,” and the 6-6, 335-pound freshman will participate in “two good padded practices on Tuesday and Wednesday” followed by a light-hitting practice on Thursday.

Fisch, on Stanford’s 30-23 loss to FCS program Sacramento State, which is 15-1 since last season: “I don’t know anymore in college football about upsets — I think college football is up for grabs every single week. ... Just the way college football goes right now, you’re dealing with 18-22-year-old kids on any given Saturday. I think Sac State is a good team, I think Stanford is a good team.”

Arizona running back Michael Wiley, on protecting himself after Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb‘s gruesome season-ending knee injury on Monday against the Steelers: “I try not to think about it too much. It’s in the back of my head. Safety is always a concern for me. ... This is something that can happen. It’s tragic what happened to him. Nick Chubb is a great running back and stays to himself and he’s a real humble guy. It’s sad to see that, but for me, I just go out there and play and whatever happens, happens.”