Warriors offensive lineman Ilm Manning will get NFL audition in East West Shrine Bowl

University of Hawaii offensive lineman Ilm Manning’s college football career will go into overtime.

Manning said he has been asked to play in the 98th East West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas. The invitation-only all-star game is set for Feb. 2, 2023, in Allegiant Stadium.

“Its an honor and privilege to showcase my skills and represent Hawaii at the same time,” said Manning, a fifth-year senior from Glendale, Ariz. “All the NFL scouts will be there. Win or lose, it’s going to be fun.”

Manning has played left tackle in 57 UH games, starting 55 of them, of a possible 59 games. He has not allowed a sack in the past 151 pass plays.

Manning, who is 6 feet 4 and 295 pounds, projects to compete at guard or center at the next level. During Tuesday’s two-hour practice, Manning took some reps at center.

“It was fun,” Manning said. “It’s different from playing on the outside all the time to the middle.”

Among current Rainbow Warriors, Manning is second to nose tackle Blessman Ta‘ala in games played. Ta‘ala has played in all 59 games since joining the Warriors ahead of the 2018 season. Manning’s longevity — and loyalty — was never in doubt, despite last year’s turmoil that led to several Warriors exiting the program.

“I had opportunities to go elsewhere,” Manning said. “I just wanted to be here on the islands, just here in Hawaii, just with the boys. I didn’t want to start a whole new relationship with a group of men unless it was the next chapter of my life. That being said, I wanted to stay because I trusted the boys, (and) I wanted to stay in a starting position.”

He also wanted to fulfill a promise he made to his parents — Ilm Ibrahim and Lakisha Lawson.

“One of my top priorities was to graduate on time,” said Manning, who earned a degree in business management in May. “It was a great feeling to accomplish. I did that for my parents, my mom especially. She told me to stay in school. Some people don’t take it seriously. … No matter how good a football player I am, I needed to get a degree. Football is only temporary. It’s only a small percentage of your life.”

Manning said he embraces his family’s blue-collar ethos. His father is a plumber. His younger sister is training to be a welder. And his mother, after years working for DHL entered a program to learn to drive 18-wheelers for a delivery company based in Tennessee. After acing her training, Lawson was assigned cross-country routes. Drivers are required eight hours of sleep, leaving Lawson to often drive loads 12 to 16 hours a day.

“Even though we’ve struggled in the past, we always found ways to get around, to get a job,” Manning said.

His parents also made him an offer: Do well in football and school, and he would not have to work an outside job.

“I definitely owe my parents a lot,” Manning said.

Since joining the Warriors, Manning has played under three head coaches, four offensive coordinators and four O-line coaches, and in four offensive systems.

“Even though my brain is scrambled up sometimes,” Manning said of the changes, “I feel I do know a lot of things. There have been benefits and negatives, but at the end of the day, I know a lot more now than I did the year before.”