Auburn signee Tashawn Manning completes chemo, itching to join Tigers

Auburn signee and three-star recruit Tashawn Manning appears to have come out ahead in the biggest fight of his life.

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive tackle out of Apoka, Fla., has announced that he has finished his chemotherapy to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia and that he is now looking ahead to join his fellow Tigers and enroll in classes this coming January.

"The doctors are confident," Manning told Keith Niebuhr of ArmourUndercover on Tuesday. "They were confident before (he finished chemo). I should be cleared up. The past couple weeks my blood count has been perfect. They think I'm done."

Manning was diagnosed on Thanksgiving Day this past November and immediately underwent his first round of chemotherapy. The effects took a toll, causing him to lose 60 pounds and brought on feelings of depression.

Manning is past all that now, and is looking forward to his future as a college football player at Auburn.

"Man, I can't wait to get there," Manning said. "It's been on my mind ever since my last procedure. That was the first thing that came up when I got home. Now we're done this, it's time to get to Auburn. Let's get started."

The road to Auburn for Manning will not be easy, as the signee still needs to have a port removed from his chest as well as begin to gain strength back with the assistance of a personal trainer. The obstacles ahead are motivating Manning to prove to the entire world that leukemia has not gotten the best of him.

"I just can't wait to set my mark when I get to Auburn," Manning said. "I know a lot of people are saying, 'He has cancer, he's not going to do this,' But when I get there, I'm going full speed, hard 24/7 every day of the week."

Manning was also recruited by Indiana, Marshall, North Carolina, Pitt, South Florida, UCF, and West Virginia.