Ikem Ekwonu

Early life

Ekwonu grew up in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, North Carolina, and attended Providence Day School, where he excelled in football while playing both offensive and defensive line.

A 3-star offensive guard recruit, Ekwonu committed to play college football at NC State over offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt, 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 Football Writers Association of America 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.

Ekwonu was named preseason All-ACC as well as a preseason All-American by Pro Football Focus and Sporting News going into the 2021 season. He was awarded the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best blocker in the ACC and was also a unanimous All-American selection.

Personal life

Ekwonu majored in business administration at NC State. His father was a basketball player from Nigeria, while a twin brother, Osita, plays linebacker for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. His nickname, Ickey, was given to him by a former coach who noted his resemblance to running back Ickey Woods.