WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College football program welcomes in Dakota Manion to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year. Manion will serve as the Fightin' Quakers' linebackers coach.

"When looking to add coaches to our staff, I am always looking for guys that can relate to or buy into our story," Head Football Coach Bryan Moore said. "Dakota played at program that saw a significant turnaround while they were there. To leave something better than you found it and to influence or change something for the better is a powerful experience. That was a big reason me and my staff took this job, and Dakota only enhances that story."

Manion comes to Wilmington from Hanover College where he graduated in May with a degree in health and movement studies. A four-year letterwinner and two-time captain, Manion anchored the Panther defense to consecutive Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championships. For his efforts, Manion garnered three All-HCAC honors including earning First Team All-HCAC recognition twice.

Since graduating in May, Manion stayed at Hanover and worked as a student coach with the football program has well as a strength and conditioning intern for the football and men's basketball programs.

"We have a lot of respect for the staff and program that Coach Theobald has rebuilt at Hanover College, and when Dakota interviewed with us, he left us no choice but to hire him," Moore said. "His football IQ for someone with no coaching experience is at an extremely high level.  Dakota took a chance on Hanover when he chose to go there after Hanover went 2-8 the previous season, which I'm sure was a 'TUFF' decision for him. This is quite like the decision a lot of our upperclassmen had to make when my staff got to Wilmington. The experiences of playing linebacker at an All-Conference level for a playoff team will make him an asset in our linebacker room."