Ifeatu Melifonwu

Safety, Tampa Bay Buccaneers · #5.

Player facts

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position: Safety
Number: 5
Born: May 2, 1999 (age 27)
Birthplace: South Grafton, MA, USA
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 210 lbs
College: Syracuse
Experience: 6 seasons
Status: Active

Stats

2026 Defense

	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	INT	YDS	AVG	LNG	PD	STF	STFYDS
Regular Season	5	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Last 5 Games	5	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Career	130	88	42	5.5	1	2	3	35	11.7	24	14	5.5	9

Recent games

			Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
Date	Opponent	Result	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	KB
Thu, Oct 8	@ DAL	W 24-16	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Oct 4	vs GB	L 17-14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 27	vs MIN	L 23-16	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 20	vs CLE	L 23-19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Sun, Sep 13	@ CIN	L 33-27	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0

Last 5 games. Click a game for its box score.

About

Ifeatu Christian-David Melifonwu (born May 2, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ifeatu Melifonwu, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Melifonwu attended Grafton High School in Grafton, Massachusetts. He played defensive back, running back and wide receiver in high school. A standout athlete, Melifonwu also played basketball, ran track, and even played a year of lacrosse. Melifonwu committed to Syracuse University to play college football. He is of Nigerian descent.

College career

Melifonwu played at Syracuse from 2017 to 2020. After redshirting his first year in 2017, he played in 29 games over the next three seasons. He finished his career with 88 tackles, three interceptions and one sack. After his junior season in 2020, he declared for the 2021 NFL draft.