What a day for the UBC Thunderbirds football program and two of its former players from Metro Vancouver.

Both Giovanni Manu and Theo Benedet have won NFL jobs, as the pair of offensive linemen cracked their respective teams’ 53-man rosters — Manu with the Detroit Lions and Benedet with the Chicago Bears.

It puts each player in great position to become just the fourth and fifth UBC Thunderbirds players ever to appear in an NFL regular-season game. If they do, they would join Dakoda Shepley (San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys), Brant Bengen (Seattle Seahawks), and Bill Crawford (New York Giants) as the only other UBC football players to do it.

giovanni manu ubc

From Tonga to Pitt Meadows to the NFL for Giovanni Manu (Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds)

Manu, 24, was born in Tonga but grew up in Pitt Meadows, going to high school at Pitt Meadows Secondary. The 6-foot-7, 350-pound lineman was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2024 by Detroit, following four seasons at UBC. That was an historic moment, as Manu became the first player ever to be picked in the NFL Draft from UBC.

theo benedet ubc

North Van’s Theo Benedet has come a long way (Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds)

Benedet, 23, was born in Toronto but grew up in North Vancouver. A product of Handsworth Secondary School, the 6-foot-7, 304-pound lineman went undrafted in 2024 but was quickly snapped up by the Chicago Bears as a free agent. Like Manu, Benedet completed four years at UBC before turning pro.

The 2025 NFL season kicks off on Sept. 4 with a Thursday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

Manu could make his NFL debut when the Lions visit Green Bay on Sunday, while Benedet’s Bears are scheduled to play in the first Monday night game of the season, against the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago.

You might also like:These pro sports teams share the same name as another — past and present