Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 79 Tashawn Manning

The Kentucky football countdown has made it to the Big Blue Wall. With 79 days remaining, let’s take a closer look at the big body who’s wearing Luke Fortner‘s old jersey this fall, Tashawn Manning.

About Manning

Tashawn Manning started his career at Auburn University. A three-star recruit in the class of 2016 from Apopka, Fl., he initially chose the Tigers over Tennessee, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. Manning eventually worked his way into a prominent role, starting in every game of the shortened 2020 season at left guard. He played in eight games last fall and was Auburn’s highest-graded run blocker, according to PFF.

As soon as he touched down in Lexington, Manning became one of the largest humans on UK’s campus. Officially listed at 6-foot-4, 344 pounds, those numbers cannot accurately reflect Manning’s mass in-person. Broad and barrel-chested, he eats up doorways and makes other giants look like normal-sized human beings.

We back at it❕ #bbn pic.twitter.com/pSGaiOHArm

— Tae_Boogie79🐻 (@tashawn544) June 7, 2022

Manning Career Highlight

Manning deserves a standing ovation just for making it onto an SEC football field. During his senior year of high school Manning was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. He underwent eight months of chemotherapy until he was declared cancer-free in July of 2016. He redshirted in his first year to regain his strength and switched from defensive line to offensive line, appearing in his first game in 2018.

“The one thing I’ll look back on through the ups and downs is always trying to keep a positive outlook on life,” he said. “Whatever I did on and off the field, I just tried to enjoy the experience while I was in the moment because you don’t get these moments back. From play to play, day to day, I just tried to take everything in and just tried to make the most of it every day.”

Tashawn Manning Fun Fact

This summer the Kentucky offensive lineman is an intern for Ohio Valley Wrestling. Don’t fret, Kentucky football fans. Even though he’s bigger than some of the OVW wrestlers, he will not be stepping into the ring.

When he’s not by the ring or on the football field, he’s creating entertaining TikToks. One football instructional video has over 1.3 million views. This one with Justin Rogers is a personal favorite.

@tae_boogie56 The OL 🤝🏿 DL content we needed❕@ukfootball #fyp #footballtiktok ♬ original sound – Tae_Boogie🦍

2022 Forecast

Manning will seamlessly fit into the Big Blue Wall. Likely playing right guard, he can fill the void left by Eli Cox, who is kicking down to center to replace Fortner. A graduate transfer with one year left of collegiate eligibility, Manning is giving former four-star recruit Jager Burton time to ease into the rotation, likely serving as the primary reserve for both offensive guard spots.