Washington Football Senior LB Nominated For 2026 Campbell Trophy

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Washington Huskies fifth-year linebacker Jacob Manu has been nominated for the 2026 Campbell Trophy, awarded to a standout senior or graduate college football player annually since 1959.

Manu, a 5-foot-10, 225-pound veteran, has made 25 starts for coach Jedd Fisch, combining his time at Arizona with four last season in his first year with the Huskies.

Following his decision to transfer last offseason, the former three-star recruit out of Servite High School in Southern California made five total appearances for Fisch and first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, including starts at Maryland, Michigan, and UCLA, home in his debut against the Ohio State Buckeyes, and in the LA Bowl against Boise State, a 38-10 victory for the Huskies to end Fisch's second season with a 9-4 overall record.

Last year, senior running back Jonah Coleman was one of 16 finalists for the award and—barring a surprise in terms of on-field impact—Manu should be among the same contingent this coming season, with the award revealing its recipient of what's been historically dubbed the "academic Heisman".

Manu proved to be one of the best linebackers at the high school level, and he's lived up to the billing, even being in a position where he had to sacrifice not playing more than four games during the 2025 regular season for him to be able to be full-go for one final campaign this coming fall.

When the ex-Wildcat showed what he could do on the field last season, he didn't disappoint. Manu logged 24 tackles, one for loss, with a pass breakup. Before a season-ending knee injury in 2024 abruptly ended his third year in college football, Manu earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors from both the coaches and the Associated Press in 2023 to help Fisch to a 10-3 record in his final season in Tucson.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Football Senior LB Nominated For 2026 Campbell Trophy

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