Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins had a fine career. The redshirt senior was the starter for three years, ending his career with nearly 8,000 passing yards and more than 1,000 rushing yards. Good numbers.
ASU QB Manny Wilkins spent 3 years hurdling as many people as possible
We respect his fearlessness in the face of being knocked over while hurdling.
But those numbers don’t capture the most unique thing about Wilkins’ playing style, because the NCAA doesn’t track QB HURDLE ATTEMPTS.
There is no question that if this sport did have a QB HURDLE ATTEMPTS statistic, Wilkins would be the modern-era leader.
Wilkins loves hurdling more than most people love any kind of physical activity, and my favorite thing about his hurdle obsession is how totally undeterred he is by the (several) times he’s tried it and gotten crushed. Here’s a history.
Wilkins started hurdling dudes in 2016, his first year atop the depth chart.
It began in the season opener against Northern Arizona:
It continued against this poor guy on Texas Tech:
And there was this clean beauty for a score against Washington State:
Wilkins continued his hurdlin’ in 2017 against Washington.
He also took to the skies and scored against UCLA.
As a senior in 2018 — perhaps trying to live out his college football days to the fullest — Wilkins kept trying hurdles. This is where the story turns.
At first, all was well against San Diego State:
He tried a hurdle against USC, and it sort of worked, but it didn’t get him much extra yardage and led to him taking an ugly fall:
He made a valiant attempt against Arizona, which ended like this:
And then, in the last game of Wilkins’ career, the Las Vegas Bowl against Fresno State, Wilkins tried his most ambitious hurdle yet, a double hurdle without a friendly angle. The result:
To Wilkins, the physical (and perhaps spiritual) high of hurdling a defender makes it worth it to repeatedly get trucked while airborne.
Would I do it? Most likely not, but I have a bad vertical and am not as fearless as an elite athlete like Wilkins. He left the Vegas Bowl with a late injury (not during a hurdle), but I hope he heals up quickly and we get to watch him jump over chumps in the pros.
Did I miss a Wilkins hurdle? Let me know, and I’ll add it to the mix.
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