Could T.C. Manumaleuna become a star quarterback for Oregon football?
There’s a great quarterback prospect in-state Oregon football wants to get out ahead of.
Incoming high school freshman T.C. Manumaleuna hasn’t played a snap of high school football, but he has already been offer a full-ride to play for the Oregon Ducks.
The Salem, Oregon native will play his first season of high school ball for North Salem High School in the state’s capital. 247Sports has Oregon as the first university to offer a scholarship to the Class of 2024 recruit.
“It was a dream come true,” said Manumaleuna to Pete Martini of the Salem Statesman Journal. “I was just really excited.” Manumaleuna is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. The pro-style quarterback grew up idolizing 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and the entire Ducks football program. So it wouldn’t be the least bit shocking if he does end up playing for the Ducks.
“He’s a great kid, always listening, real humble. He’s our only boy, with six sisters. Six sisters will keep you humble,” said his father Clarence.“I always wanted him to play lineman because we come from a family of linemen,” he said. “He wanted to be a quarterback, and he’s really good. I’m excited about the offer, and I just want him to keep working hard and be deserving.”
T.C. Manumaleuna could be the next Marcus Mariota for Oregon football.
To have a player with this much poise and this much arm talent this young in-state seems almost too good to be true for an elite recruiter like Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal. Since his arrival in Eugene, Cristobal has dominated on the recruiting trail unlike any Oregon coach before him. He was the best recruiter on Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide staff as the offensive line coach.
Not only does Manumaleuna hail from nearby Salem, but one of his six sisters goes to the University of Oregon. It should be noted that his father’s cousin Brandon Manumaleuna was an All-Pac-10 performer with the Arizona Wildcats before playing a decade in the NFL at fullback with the then-St. Louis Rams, the then-San Diego Chargers and the Chicago Bears before retiring.
Brandon Manumaleuna’s father Frank Manumaleuga played in the NFL for three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1979-81 at linebacker. So the incoming freshman quarterback has tremendous NFL pedigree, plays in the same state as the best program in the Pac-12, his sister goes to Oregon and he grew up idolizing Mariota. Cristobal knows exactly what he’s doing here.
Is Manumaleuna destined to play for the Ducks? We’ll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds.
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