Manu, the 6-foot-5 senior tackle at Thompson Valley High School, told The Denver Post Tuesday that he’s flipped his collegiate commitment to the CU Buffs and Deion Sanders.
“Level of competition was the big thing,” said the 295-pound Manu, who had given a verbal commitment to San Jose State last month. “And seeing the field early is also an opportunity I’d have at CU as well. I want to be on the biggest stages, against the best players and the best (opponents) I can.”
Manu said he received an offer from CU in late July from Buffs offensive line coach Gunnar White.
The tackle becomes CU’s first in-state commit from the Class of 2026. A 3-star recruit and two-way standout for the Eagles, Manu helped Thompson Valley win the 3A state title last fall and is ranked as the 14th-highest-rated prep recruit in Colorado by 247Sports.
“I’m glad I get to stay close to home,” Manu said. “I know CU isn’t really too big with the (in-state) recruiting, so it’s just nice.”
That said, Manu is hoping to help to change the latter. And the chance to play college football along the Front Range — his grandmother is a major CU fan, he said — made it an easy flip.
“My mom was really happy to hear it,” Manu said. “She’s glad she gets to go to my games. She said she wouldn’t be able to go to as many if I had gone to San Jose State.”