South Carolina product named NFL Rookie of the Week

On Thursday, the NFL announced that Seattle Seahawks defensive back (and former South Carolina football All-American) Nick Emmanwori was the league’s Rookie of the Week.

The recognition comes on the heels of Emmanwori’s best game as a professional.

In a 44-22 victory over the division rival Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks’ starting nickel logged nine tackles, a half-sack, and four passes defended. All three of those numbers are career-high statistical outputs (nine tackles ties his career-high mark).

Following the performance, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald told the media, “Nick (Emmanwori) had a great game.” Speaking about his versatility, he added, “It’s easy to call a lot of the things that we’re putting him into because you have a lot of confidence in him being able to execute those things.”

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Like he did at South Carolina, Emmanwori has played multiple roles for the Seahawks. He is the team’s primary nickel, but he has played some snaps at safety, too, especially in in-the-box situations. Earlier this season, he was the NFL’s highest-rated safety, according to PFF. Now, positioned more in the system as a nickel, he ranks as a top-20 overall cornerback in the league.

Emmanwori was a standout at Irmo High School before joining the South Carolina football program. He was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and earned true All-American honors in 2024. He was one of the best defensive players in the country as a junior, leading to his selection early in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Emmanwori and the Seahawks will take the field again on Sunday afternoon. Seattle will travel to Los Angeles for a date with the LA Rams at 4:05 p.m. (Eastern). Fox will broadcast the contest, while the FoxSports app will stream the on-field action.

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