Dennis O. "D. J." Wonnum Jr (born October 31, 1997) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

Early life

Wonnum grew up in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 as of 2020. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square miles. It lies near and ...

, and attended

Stephenson High School Stephenson High School (SHS) is a public school that serves grades 9–12 in the unincorporated area of DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It has a Stone Mountain postal address but it is not in the city limits. It is part of the DeKalb Cou ...

. As a senior, he was named All-Region after recording 38 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Wonnum initially committed to play

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

before de-committing after a coaching change. He subsequently committed to attend

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

before de-committing a second time and signing to play at South Carolina.

College career

Wonnum played in all of South Carolina's games as a true freshman, recording 32 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Wonnum was named a permanent team captain going into his sophomore year and finished the season with 57 tackles and led the team with 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He injured his ankle during the Gamecocks' season opener as a junior, and only played in five games. He compiled 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks during the injury-shortened season. As a senior, Wonnum recorded 37 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks with three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, one blocked kick, and an interception and was named second-team

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Wonnum was selected by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

with the 117th overall pick in the fourth round of the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

. In Week 4 against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

, Wonnum recorded his first career sack on

Deshaun Watson Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national ...

during the 31–23 win. In Week 8 against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, Wonnum recorded a strip sack on

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

which was recovered by teammate Eric Wilson late in the fourth quarter to secure a 28–22 Vikings' win. In Week 10 against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

on ''

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

'', Wonnum recorded a sack on

Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. A member of six teams, he achieved his greatest success wi ...

during the 19–13 win. On December 27, 2023, Wonnum was placed on the

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

list after suffering a season-ending torn quadriceps in a week 16 game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

the previous Sunday.

Carolina Panthers

On March 14, 2024, Wonnum signed a two-year deal with the

. He was placed on the reserve/ PUP list to start the season. He was activated on November 9.

Personal life

Wonnum's younger brother, Dylan, is a starting offensive lineman at South Carolina.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bioSouth Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonnum, D. J. 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Stone Mountain, Georgia American football defensive ends South Carolina Gamecocks football players Minnesota Vikings players Carolina Panthers players