Sun Devils’ Manny Wilkins selected to NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Manny Wilkins was selected to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl last week, a bowl for all NFL draft-eligible collegiate players that current Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards was a head coach for in the 2013 edition of the bowl game.

The news comes on the heels of a season in which Wilkins led the Devils to a winning record (7-6) and a bowl game after most had written the team off before the season had even started. Arizona State finished second in the Pac-12 South standings and was a two-point conversion away from forcing overtime on the road against Oregon that would have seen the Sun Devils in the Pac-12 Championship game should ASU had left Eugene with a victory.

His senior season also had some impressive wins over then-No. 15 Michigan State, then-No. 15 Utah, and a 19-point fourth quarter comeback over in-state rival Arizona in Tucson to keep the Wildcats out of postseason bowl contention.

The Michigan State win led to the Devils being briefly ranked No. 23 in the country.

Wilkins is statistically one of the best quarterbacks to put on a Sun Devil uniform and will represent Arizona State in the Collegiate Bowl as he prepares for a career in the NFL.

“That’s the plan,” Wilkins said when asked if he would be at the NFL Combine this year. “That’s the plan, God willing.”

Until the Las Vegas Bowl against No. 21 Fresno State, every ASU loss was by only one score, such as their 27-20 loss to Pac-12 Champions and Rose Bowl bound No. 9 Washington in Seattle.

In his final season at Arizona State, the fifth-year senior posted 3,025 passing yards (10th in single-season school history) to go along with 20 touchdown passes and a 62.9 completion percentage. He also put up 452 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, both career single-season highs for the dual-threat quarterback.

The 3,270 all-purpose yards and 28 total touchdowns rank fifth and 10th, respectively, in single-season school history.

In his tenure at Arizona State, Wilkins started three seasons, finishing with a 63.2 completion percentage, second all-time in ASU history behind Taylor Kelly at 63.3 percent.

Wilkins totaled 52 touchdown passes (sixth in school history) to only 23 interceptions. He also accumulated 8,642 passing yards (fifth in school history), 980 rushing yards and 20 touchdown runs.

To go along with a 14-6 home record, he posted a 2-1 record against U of A.

His 9,622 career all-purpose yards rank fourth all-time in school history and his 72 total career touchdowns rank fifth all-time in school history.

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