The Washington Huskies are set to lose four of its top five linebackers this offseason. Carson Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala, and Drew Fowler are all graduating, while San Jose State transfer Bryun Parham left the team midseason to re-enter the transfer portal.
That leaves freshman Khmori House as the only Huskies linebacker who took more than 20 defensive snaps to return in 2025. Even after signing high-profile local recruits Zaydrius Rainey-Sale and Jonathan Epperson out of high school, Washington went into the offseason likely needing an experienced starter out of the transfer portal.
One with connections to coach Jedd Fisch and his staff may have just materialized.
Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu, who started all 13 games at middle linebacker for Fisch’s Wildcats in 2023, entered the portal on December 8. A true junior originally from Anaheim, California, Manu was limited to 7 games this year due to a non-contact knee injury that knocked him out for the final 5 games of the season.
Manu is set to visit the Huskies on Tuesday, per Rivals reporter Adam Gorney, as part of potentially a large contingent of former Arizona players to make the trip to Montlake through the portal. It’s unclear how long the injury he suffered will keep him off the field, but there’s a potential world where the rising senior redshirts in 2025 and only plays the last four games of the season plus any postseason appearances and is eligible to come back in 2026.
If that’s the case, Washington will likely take a second linebacker in the portal, so Manu’s visit on Tuesday has the potential to define the direction of the Huskies’ approach for the remainder of the portal window.
Washington has already secured commitments from three transfers – Oklahoma offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett, who returns to the Huskies after one year with the Sooners, Kanas State offensive lineman Carver Willis, and Western Michigan defensive tackle Anterio Thompson.