UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
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.
"Coach (Blake) Nill, he's like a father figure to me. And even my positional coach, Dan Dorazio. They're great guys," he said. "I cherish the six years that I've been here. It's definitely something I'll always remember and tell my kids in the future."
Manu lived with his aunt in Pitt Meadows and his parents still live in Tonga.
They've never seen him play football, which is something he hopes to rectify if he makes it onto an NFL field.
As a prospect, he is considered a bit of a project and is likely to be selected in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.
"When you have 16 teams that came up to his pro day, and another 11 that brought him in for visits, and even more than that who are having private workouts with him, everybody knows who this kid is now, and they all know that there is scary potential there," said TSN NFL insider Farhan Lalji.
In part because he has only played against Canadian competition at the USports level, Lalji suspects Manu may start his NFL career on a team's practice roster.
"But I don't think it's going to take long until we see this guy in the National Football League," Lalji said. "It's not a question of if, but when."
Just a few months ago, Manu and his Thunderbird teammates beat the Alberta Golden Bears on a last-second touchdown to win the Hardy Cup.
A few months down the road, he could find himself competing for a more famous piece of football hardware: the NFL's Vince Lombardi Trophy.
"I'm ready for it. If that happens to come my way in my first year, I'll attack it the same way I approached the Canada West championship here, I'll be well-prepared for it and it will be really exciting," Manu said.
He has a chance to take the first step on that journey at next weekend's draft.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after a search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
The push to Parliament's summer hiatus is about to begin, here's what you need to know
When MPs file back in to the House of Commons on Tuesday, it will be for the final five-week parliamentary push before hitting the barbecue circuit. Looking ahead to what could be a raucous rush to the summer hiatus, CTVNews.ca spoke with top House representatives to get a sense of what's atop their priority list.
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with their actions during the seven-month war.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Michael Cohen to face more grilling as Trump's hush money trial enters its final stretch
Donald Trump's hush money trial is heading into the final stretch, with prosecutors' last and star witness back on the stand Monday for more grilling before the former president's lawyers get their chance to put on a case.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.