Washington State University Athletics

Roy Manning begins his third on Head Coach Mike Leach’s staff after joining the Washington State coaching staff as the outside linebackers coach in January, 2015.

Last season, Manning saw his outside linebackers combine to record 16 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks and record six turnovers. Junior RUSH linebacker Dylan Hanser tied for third in the Pac-12 Conference with three forced fumbles and redshirt-freshman Nnamdi Oguayo tallied four sacks in his first season on the field including a three-sack performance in the win over Arizona. Manning also saw the Cougar defense finish the year third in the Pac-12 in rushing defense while forcing 23 turnovers, tied for fourth in the conference.
In his first season, Manning’s 2015 outside linebackers combined for 26.5 tackles-for-loss and 12.0 sacks, while registering 146 tackles. Seniors Ivan McLennan (9 TFL/6 sacks) and Kache Palacio (10 TFL/5 sacks) joined with redshirt-junior Parker Henry (72 tackles/7.5 TFLs) as the core of the unit.

Manning arrived in Pullman after serving the previous two seasons at his alma mater, Michigan, serving as the cornerbacks coach in 2014 after coaching the outside linebackers in 2013. Under his direction, Michigan’s SAM linebackers Cam Gordon and Jake Ryan combined for 70 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2013 while defensive back Raymond Taylor earned 2014 All-Big Ten honors in 2014.
Prior to arriving back in Ann Arbor, Manning served as the running backs coach at the University of Cincinnati in 2012. That season Manning’s group led the Big East in rushing in 2012, averaging 201.5 yards per game. Running back George Winn totaled the second-best rushing season in school history with 1,334 rushing yards (102.6 per game) and 13 touchdowns, both conference bests.

Prior to joining the Cincinnati staff, Manning served as offensive graduate assistant at Michigan, where he worked with the offensive line and was part of a coaching staff that led the Wolverines to an 11-2 record and a victory in the 2012 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Manning’s first coaching experience came at Cincinnati in 2010, when he worked as a defensive assistant.

Prior to his appointment in Cincinnati, Manning spent three seasons in the NFL with five different teams. He signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2005. He played in 15 games and started two contests as a rookie, tallying 41 tackles and one pass breakup. Manning tied for third on the team with 21 tackles on special teams. He also had stints with the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals.

Manning played in 37 career games and made 10 starts at linebacker as a fifth-year senior with Michigan. He was named the Roger Zatkoff Award winner as the team’s top linebacker in 2004 after posting 39 tackles, six tackles-for-loss and one sack. Manning finished his career with 72 stops, nine TFLs and three sacks.

Manning, a native of Saginaw, Mich., earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Michigan in 2004.