Manuel Orona-Lopez

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Position:
OL
Ht./Wt.:
6-3 / 289
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Phoenix, Ariz.
Prev School:
Glendale CC

Honors

• 2018-19 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team
• Tiger 3.0 Club for 2018 fall and 2019 spring semesters

2020 (Redshirt Senior)

• Member of the 8-3 Tigers who won the 2020 Montgomery Bowl
• Appeared in all 11 games on the season, earning starts in all 11 at center
• Helped Memphis rank 22nd in the nation in total offense (453.1) and finish 17th in the country in both passing offense (307.9) and first down offense (260)

2019 (Redshirt Junior)

• Started all 14 games, primarily at right guard
• Also took snaps at center • Saw 82 snaps in the conference championship game against Cincinnati
• Saw a season-high 86 snaps at the 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
• Played each offensive snap against Navy and at ULM
• Blocked for an offense that amassed 6,791 total yards, including 2,614 rushing yards
• Paved the way for FWAA Freshman of the Year winner Kenneth Gainwell, who totaled 1,456 rushing yards and 610 yards receiving

2018 (Junior)

• Redshirted
• Before decision to redshirt, saw action in three games
• Played 23 snaps
• Made collegiate debut vs Georgia State
• Saw action on five snaps vs the Panthers
• Played in his first American Athletic Conference game vs Connecticut
• Logged a season-high 11 snaps • Final game action of season came against Tulsa (7 snaps)
• Member of the 2018 squad that went 8-6, won the American Athletic Conference West Division title, played in The American Championship Game and earned a Birmingham Bowl berth
• The 2018 Tigers overcame a three-game deficit heading into the month of November to win the league’s West Division crown

2016-17 (at Glendale CC)

• Two-time All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference second team honoree on the offensive line (2016, 2017)
• Member of the 2017 line that blocked for an offense that averaged more than 300 yards of total offense per game (315.1 ypg), which was over a 40 yard-per-game improvement from the 2016 season (272.8 ypg)
• Maintained a 3.3 GPA at Glendale
• After two seasons, received offers from Arizona State, Kansas and Kansas State

Prior to Memphis/Personal

• Attended Franklin Police and Fire High School while also playing football for Trevor Browne High School
• Played offensive and defensive line for Bruins
• As a senior in 2015, totaled 24 tackles, nine TFL, 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles
• Earned 2015 All-Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Division III Section IV honors (offensive line)
• Also competed in track and field at Trevor Browne
• Received one offer to play college football coming out of high school
• As a student at Franklin Police and Fire High School, competed on the state champion fire muster team
• Son of Juan Manvel Orona Valenzuela and Iris Crystal Lopez