UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
CTV
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
"Humble beginnings. I was born and raised there until the age of 10 and then migrated with my siblings here to this great city of Vancouver, Canada," Manu said in an interview with CTV News.
Blessed with a rare combination of size and agility, even by National Football League standards, Manu has drawn the interest of several teams ahead of next weekend's NFL draft.
Sixteen teams showed up to see him workout at UBC's pro day, where he ran a 5.03-second 40-yard dash and completed 23 bench-press reps of 225 pounds.
Several other clubs hosted Manu on official team visits, including the New York Giants, New England Patriots, and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
"I got to see Andy Reid, and he's kind of a character," Manu said about meeting the Chiefs head coach.
He arrived on campus at UBC when he was just 16 years old and credits the Thunderbirds coaching staff with helping him grow as a person and develop into an NFL prospect.
