Noah Igbinoghene ( ; born November 27, 1999) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

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

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

and was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the first 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 ...

. Igbinoghene has also played in the NFL for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. He is the son of

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

athletes

Festus Igbinoghene Festus Igbinoghene (born 21 October 1969) is a Nigerian athlete. He competed in the men's triple jump at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He attended Mississippi State University as a long jumper and triple jumper. Igbinoghene won five SEC titles in ...

and

Faith Idehen Faith Idehen (born 5 February 1973) is a Nigerian former sprinter. At the 1992 Summer Olympics she, together with Beatrice Utondu, Christy Opara Thompson and Mary Onyali, won a bronze medal in 4 x 100 metres relay. Idehen attended the Uni ...

Early life

Igbinoghene was born on November 27, 1999, in

Trussville, Alabama Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population at the 2020 census was 26,123. Geography Trus ...

. He is of

Nigeria Nigeria, 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 Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n descent, and lived in Nigeria for part of his life. Both of his parents,

Festus Festus may refer to: People Ancient world *Porcius Festus, Roman governor of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD *Sextus Pompeius Festus (later 2nd century), Roman grammarian *Festus (died 305), martyr along with Proculus of Pozzuoli *Festus (h ...

and

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

, were Olympic athletes in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. Igbinoghene attended

Hewitt-Trussville High School Hewitt-Trussville High School (HTHS) is a four-year public high school in the city of Trussville, Alabama. It is the only high school in Trussville City Schools and is named for the early local educator Robert Hewitt. School colors are red and gr ...

. He played on the football team at

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. As a senior, he tallied over 1,700 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns. He received All-USA Today Alabama and ASWA Class 7A All-state honors. He was a multiple state champion in

, claiming eight

Alabama High School Athletic Association The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), based in Montgomery, is the governing body for interscholastic athletics and activities programs for public schools in Alabama. The AHSAA is a member National Federation of State High ...

titles between the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

College career

Igbinoghene accepted a football scholarship from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

, where he played from 2017 to 2019. As a true freshman, he was a backup wide receiver, playing mostly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He appeared in 14 games, tallying 6 receptions for 24 yards and 24 kickoff returns for 571 yards (23.8-yard avg.). As a sophomore, he was converted into a cornerback during the spring. He became a starter that season, registering 50 tackles and 11 pass breakups. He made 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups in the season opener against the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. He had a 96-yard kickoff return for touchdown and forced a fumble against the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. He made 7 tackles against the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. He had 5 tackles against

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

in the

2018 Music City Bowl The 2018 Music City Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2018 at Nissan Stadium (Nashville), Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the 21st edition of the Music City Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 NCAA football b ...

. As a junior, he posted 42 tackles and 7 pass breakups. He made 8 tackles against

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. He had 6 tackles against

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. He made 5 tackles against the

. He set a school bowl record with a 96-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the 2020 Outback Bowl. He declared for the

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

after the season. He finished his career with 92 tackles, one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

and 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also practiced

, competing in the

and

. He finished fourth in the triple jump at the War Eagle Invitational in 2018.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Igbinoghene was selected by the

in the first round (30th overall) of the

. The Dolphins previously moved down from one of the first round draft selections they acquired in the trade that sent

Kenny Stills Kenneth Lee Stills Jr. (born April 22, 1992) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Oklahoma and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft. Early life Sti ...

and

Laremy Tunsil Laremy Alexander Tunsil (born August 2, 1994) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was selected by the ...

to 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 ...

. Entering the league as a 20-year-old rookie made Igbinoghene the youngest player in the NFL, furthermore, his offseason was limited and the preseason games were canceled because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In the second game of the season against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, starter Byron Jones left after the opening drive with a groin injury, forcing Igbinoghene to cover

Stefon Diggs Stefon Marsean Diggs (born November 29, 1993) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins footbal ...

the rest of the game and allowing 8 receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown. He would start the next 2 contests in place of Jones, with mixed results. He appeared in all 16 games with 2 starts, finishing with 10 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries, 3

tackles and 4 kickoff returns for 68 yards (17-yard avg.). In 2021, he struggled on the field, appearing in 7 games with one start, while making 4 defensive tackles and 2

tackles . He was declared inactive in 6 contests. He also missed 2 contests on the Reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list. In Week 6, he was named the starter against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

and had 4 tackles. In 2022, he appeared in 9 games with 2 starts, collecting 10 tackles, one interception, and three passes defended. He was declared inactive in 8 contests. A rash of injuries at the cornerback position, allowed him the opportunity to play in a stretch of 5 games. In Week 8, he was named the starter and secured a game-sealing interception (first in his career) in the waning seconds of a 16–10 victory against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, to go along with 4 tackles and one pass defensed. He also started in Week 14 against the

and had 2 tackles. In 2023, the Dolphins declined his contract fifth-year option. He also faced increased competition during the preseason, with the signing of

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

Jalen Ramsey Jalen Ramsey ( ; born October 24, 1994) is an American professional football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Jacksonvill ...

Eli Apple Eli Apple (né Woodard, born August 9, 1995) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning the 2015 National Championship before being selected by the New York Giants in the fir ...

and the selection of rookie second-round draft choice

Cam Smith Cameron or Cam Smith may refer to: * Cammie Smith (Cameron Wilberforce Smith, born 1933), West Indian cricketer * Cam Smith (artist), British comic book artist * Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1983), Australian rugby league player * Cameron Smit ...

Dallas Cowboys

On August 29, 2023, the Dolphins traded Igbinoghene to the

in exchange for cornerback Kelvin Joseph. In his Cowboys debut, he scored the Cowboys' first touchdown of the season on a 58-yard blocked field goal return, kickstarting the Cowboys' 40–0 shutout win over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He appeared in 5 games as a backup cornerback and played mainly on

, only seeing late-game action on defense in a few contests. He was declared inactive in a total of 12 games.

Washington Commanders

Igbinoghene signed as a free agent with the

on March 18, 2024. He reunited with head coach Dan Quinn, who was his defensive coordinator with the

. After starting cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. suffered an injury in Week 1, requiring surgery, Igbinoghene took over the starting

nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...

role in place of

Mike Sainristil Mike Sainristil ( ; born October 3, 2000) is a Haitian American professional football cornerback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American playing college football for the Michigan Wolverines, wi ...

, who moved from nickelback to cornerback to replace Forbes. Igbinoghene retained the starting nickelback position after Forbes returned from injury. He played in all 17 regular season games (with ten starts) and recorded 55 tackles and seven pass deflections. On March 18, 2025, Igbinoghene re-signed with the Commanders on a one-year contract.

References

External links

Washington Commanders profileAuburn Tigers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Igbinoghene, Noah 1999 births 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American football cornerbacks American players of American football of Nigerian descent Auburn Tigers football players Dallas Cowboys players Living people Miami Dolphins players People from Trussville, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama Washington Commanders players