Ikemefuna Patrick "Ickey" Ekwonu (born October 31, 2000) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

offensive tackle 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). Of Nigerian descent, he played college football at N.C. State where he was named a

unanimous All-American The College Football All-America Team is an honorific college football all-star team compiled after each NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season to recognize that season's most outstanding performers at their respective positions. ...

and was awarded the

Jacobs Blocking Trophy The Jacobs Blocking Trophy is the name of several similar annual college football awards bestowed by a conference upon their best blocker. The awards are named in honor of William P. Jacobs, founder and president of Presbyterian College from 1935 ...

as the best blocker in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2021. Ekwonu was selected sixth overall by the Carolina Panthers in the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

Early life and high school

Ekwonu grew up around

Matthews, North Carolina Matthews is a town in southeastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte. The population was 27,198 according to the 2010 Census. History In the early 19th century, the new settlement that would become M ...

, and attended

Providence Day School Providence Day School is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

. Ekwonu committed to play college football at North Carolina State over offers from Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

College career

Ekwonu started the final seven games of his freshman season at left tackle and led the team with 37 pancake blocks and was named to the FWAA Freshman All-America team. He began his sophomore season as the Wolfpack's starting left guard. Ekwonu was moved back to left tackle during the season and again led the Wolfpack with 50 pancake blocks and 22 knockdowns and was named second-team All- Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) at both guard and tackle by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

. Ekwonu was named preseason All-ACC as well as a preseason All-American by

Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

and ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' going into the 2021 season. He was awarded the

as the best blocker in the ACC and was also a

selection.

Professional career

Following the end of the 2021 season, Ekwonu announced that he would forgo his remaining college eligibility to enter the

, where he was selected sixth overall by the

. On May 11, 2022, Ekwonu signed a four-year deal with the Panthers worth $27.6 million featuring a signing bonus of $17.2 million and a fifth year-option.

Personal life

Ekwonu majored in business administration at NC State. His father was a basketball player from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

, while a twin brother, Osita, plays

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. His nickname, Ickey, was given to him by a former coach who noted his resemblance to running back

Ickey Woods Elbert L. "Ickey" Woods (born February 28, 1966) is a former American football running back who played for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League from 1988 through 1991. He played college football at the University of Nevada, Las ...

Notes

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bio

NC State Wolfpack bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekwonu, Ikem 2000 births Living people American football offensive tackles American sportspeople of Nigerian descent NC State Wolfpack football players Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina All-American college football players Carolina Panthers players Twin sportspeople American twins