Nick Emmanwori

* 2023 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

* 2022-23 co-South Carolina Athletics Male Freshman of the Year

* 2022-23 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

* 2022 First-Team Freshman All-American (ESPN, PFF, On3)

* 2022 Second-Team Freshman All-American (CFN, The Athletic)

* 2022 First-Team Freshman All-SEC (Coaches)

* 2022 Co-Joe Morrison Award – MVP Defense

* 2022 Shawn Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist

A Freshman All-American in 2022 and one of the leaders of the Carolina defense returns for his third season with the Garnet & Black… safety who has appeared in 24 games with 23 starts over the past two seasons… credited with 156 career tackles and two interceptions along with nine pass breakups… has excellent size and is willing to hit.

2023 (Sophomore)

Played in and started 11 games at either safety or nickel… ranked fourth on the team with 71 tackles, 15th in the SEC… credited with eight pass breakups, second on the squad, and a pair of interceptions along with one quarterback hurry… ranked seventh in the SEC in passes defended at 0.91 per game… recorded a season high 10 tackles twice, reaching double digits against both Georgia and Jacksonville State… went through a span of four consecutive games where he recorded at least five tackles and one pass breakup…. led the defensive effort in the win over Kentucky with a team-high nine tackles and pulled down his first collegiate interception – a leaping catch in the end zone to stall a Wildcat drive… recorded seven tackles along with his second interception in as many games in the season finale against Clemson… named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

2022 (Freshman)

True freshman safety who moved into the lineup replacing an injured R.J. Roderick in the first series of the season and remained in that role throughout the remainder of the year, starting the final 12 games… named to the ESPN.com, the PFF and the On3 True Freshman All-America team… named second-team Freshman All-American by CFN and The Athletic… became the first Gamecock to garner Freshman All-America honors since Dylan Wonnum in 2018 and the first defensive player since Jadeveon Clowney in 2011… earned a spot on the  SEC Coaches All-Freshman squad… shared the Joe Morrison Defensive Team MVP award with Zacch Pickens… was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award… led the team with 85 tackles… tied for 15th in the SEC with 6.5 tackles per game… credited with 62 solo stops, second in the SEC and the most among freshmen in the FBS… the last freshman to lead the Gamecocks in tackles was Skai Moore in 2013… became the first member of the freshman class of 2022 to earn a starting assignment when he got the call at Arkansas in Game 2… responded with 11 tackles, the first of his two games with double-figures in stops… posted a career-high 14 tackles, all solo stops, in the loss to No. 1 Georgia… It was the most tackles by a Gamecock since Ernest Jones collected 18 tackles at Ole Miss in 2020… had a tackle for loss versus Missouri… recovered the fumble in the waning minutes of the Clemson game, preserving the win… named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll… recognized as a co-winner of the University of South Carolina Athletics Male Freshman of the Year for 2022-23, along with baseball standout Ethan Petry.

HIGH SCHOOL

Graduated from Irmo (S.C.) High School in 2022… played all over on defense, but primarily at middle linebacker… earned first-team All-State 4A honors… led the Yellow Jackets to the semifinals as a senior… coached by Aaron Brand… selected for the Shrine Bowl and the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl… credited with 232 tackles, four sacks and eight forced fumbles as a senior… was an all-state selection as a junior when he collected 100 tackles, eight TFLs, two interceptions, a forced fumble and three sacks in nine games… ranked as the sixth-best player in the Palmetto State, the 58th-best safety in the country and No. 665 overall in the 247Sports Composite… rated the sixth-best player in the state and the 28th-best outside linebacker in the nation by Rivals.

PERSONAL

Born Feb. 7, 2004, Nicholas Ovundah Eze Emmanwori is a psychology major.