Joel Iyiegbuniwe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joel Iyiegbuniwe
refer to caption
Iyiegbuniwe in 2017.
No. 45 – Chicago Bears
Position:Inside linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1995-10-12) October 12, 1995 (age 26)
Chicago, Illinois
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:South Warren
(Bowling Green, Kentucky)
College:Western Kentucky
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 4 / Pick: 115
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-CUSA (2017)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2021
Total tackles:29
Pass deflections:1
Forced fumbles:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Joel Iyiegbuniwe (born October 12, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky.

Early years[]

Iyiegbuniwe attended South Warren High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Although as a senior he only played in four games, 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[]

Iyiegbuniwe in a game against the Washington Redskins

Iyiegbuniwe was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (115th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[10]

Personal life[]

He is of Nigerian descent.[11]

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. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "TOPPER EXTRA: Iyiegbuniwe makes impact in breakout season". wkuherald.com. 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. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "Joel Iyiegbuniwe 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  8. ^ "FB: 2017 All-Conference Awards". Conference USA. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "Western Kentucky's Joel Iyiegbuniwe declares early for draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  10. ^ Mayer, Larry (April 28, 2018). "Bears select Iyiegbuniwe in Round 4". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  11. ^ "Nigeria dominates Africa's 2018 NFL draftee list". ESPN. April 23, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""