Joel Iyiegbuniwe

Last updated

Joel Iyiegbuniwe
2017-0720-CUSA-JoelIyiegbuniwe.jpg
Iyiegbuniwe in 2017
Personal information
Born: (1995-10-12) October 12, 1995 (age 29)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school: South Warren
(Bowling Green, Kentucky)
College: Western Kentucky (2014–2017)
Position: Linebacker
NFL draft: 2018  / round: 4 / pick: 115
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-CUSA (2017)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:31
Forced fumbles:1
Pass deflections:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Joel Iyiegbuniwe (born October 12, 1995) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Contents

Early life

Iyiegbuniwe attended South Warren High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Although he only played in four games as a senior, he tallied 23 tackles and one interception along with six touchdowns. As a junior he made 64 tackles with three interceptions along with four touchdowns. [1] Iyiegbuniwe committed to play football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in December 2013, choosing them over Indiana State and Southern Illinois. [2]

College career

As a true freshman in 2014, Iyiegbuniwe played in the first three games of Western Kentucky's season before a knee injury ended his season. He elected to take a medical redshirt. [3]

In 2015, as a redshirt freshman, Iyiegbuniwe played in all 14 of Western Kentucky's games, recording 19 tackles and one sack. [4]

In 2016, Iyiegbuniwe, now a redshirt sophomore, once again appeared in all 14 games. He made 64 tackles (10 for loss), 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections and one forced fumble. [5] He was awarded 2016 C-USA Honorable Mention. [6]

As a redshirt junior in 2017, Iyiegbuniwe played in all 13 games, recording 117 tackles (11.5 for loss), two sacks, one pass deflection and three forced fumbles. [7] He was named to the 2017 C-USA First-team. [8] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL draft. [9]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m)		229 lb
(104 kg)		32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m)		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		4.60 s1.60 s2.70 s4.28 s7.06 s35.0 in
(0.89 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		19 reps
All values from NFL Combine [10] [11] [12]

Chicago Bears

Iyiegbuniwe in a game against the Washington Redskins Joel Iyiegbuniwe.jpg
Iyiegbuniwe in a game against the Washington Redskins

Iyiegbuniwe was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (115th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. [13]

Seattle Seahawks

On March 24, 2022, Iyiegbuniwe signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. [14] He was released on August 20, 2022. [15]

Carolina Panthers

On October 20, 2022, Iyiegbuniwe was signed to the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. [16] He was promoted to the active roster on November 19. [17]

San Antonio Brahmas

On January 19, 2024, Iyiegbuniwe signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). [18] His contract was terminated on August 19, to sign with an NFL team. [19]

Detroit Lions

On August 19, 2024, Iyiegbuniwe signed with the Detroit Lions. [20] He was released on August 27. [21]

Personal life

Iyiegbuniwe is of Nigerian descent. [22]

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References

  1. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe". Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ "South Warren LB/RB Joel Iyiegbuniwe verbally commits to WKU". Bowling Green Daily News. December 5, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ↑ "TOPPER EXTRA: Iyiegbuniwe makes impact in breakout season". wkuherald.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2015 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2016 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "FB: 2016 All-Conference Teams". Conference USA. December 6, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  8. ↑ "FB: 2017 All-Conference Awards". Conference USA. December 5, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  9. ↑ Taylor, John (January 15, 2018). "Western Kentucky's Joel Iyiegbuniwe declares early for draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  11. ↑ "2018 Draft Scout Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Western Kentucky NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ "NFL Combine 2018: Full list of results, measurements from all positions". ninersnation.com. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  13. ↑ Mayer, Larry (April 28, 2018). "Bears select Iyiegbuniwe in Round 4". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ Boyle, John (March 24, 2022). "Seahawks Sign LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe". Seahawks.com.
  15. ↑ Boyle, John (August 20, 2022). "Seahawks Release LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Waive Four Undrafted Rookies To Reduce Roster To 80". Seahawks.com.
  16. ↑ "Panthers add two players to practice squad on Tuesday". Panthers Wire. USA Today. November 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ Gantt, Darin (November 19, 2022). "Panthers activate Jeremy Chinn to 53-man roster". Panthers.com.
  18. ↑ "The UFL Agree to Terms with 42 Players". UFLBoard.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  19. ↑ @UFL_PR (August 19, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved August 20, 2024– via Twitter.
  20. ↑ Bianchi, Nolan; Silva, Richard (August 20, 2024). "Detroit Lions sign linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe". detroitnews.com. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. August 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ Okupa, Francis (April 23, 2018). "Nigeria dominates Africa's 2018 NFL draftee list". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
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