Ikem Ekwonu is an American football offensive tackle for the National Football League’s (NFL) Carolina Panthers.
The Nigerian football player attended North Carolina State University, where he was selected as a unanimous All-American and received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the top blocker in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2021.
The Carolina Panthers picked Ekwonu sixth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Since then, people have been curious about his life.
The fans mostly want to know if the NFL star has a girlfriend or is dating anyone. Here is everything we know about it.
Is Ikem Ekwonu dating his girlfriend?
Ekwonu is a very private person when it comes to his dating history and love life. He rarely talks about it and has not mentioned having a girlfriend on his social media.
It seems like the football prodigy has prioritized his professional endeavors. He is solely focused on his NFL career and has kept his love life out of the spotlight.
Therefore, it is unknown if Ekwonu is dating anyone at the moment. Similarly, there is no information about him having a girlfriend.
It is reported that he sees any love engagement as a method of cultivating distraction in his football career, which is already flourishing. As a result, it is safe to assume that Ekwonu is currently single and has no girlfriend.
Ikem Ekwonu’s parents and siblings
Tagbo and Amaka, Ekwonu’s father and mother, are both Nigerians. They are from Nigeria’s eastern region, which is home to the country’s third-largest ethnic group, Igbo.
According to WCNC, Tagbo and Amaka met in England and later immigrated to Charlotte, USA. It is reported that Tagbo immigrated to Charlotte in the 1990s.
Currently, he works as a family physician. Amaka became a high school running champion after immigrating to the USA in the 1980s and now oversees T.J.’s family-owned business.
Ikem Ekwonu posing for a picture with his parents and siblings. (Source: Instagram)
Tagbo and Amaka had four kids, with Ekwonu being the youngest of them all. The NFL player has a fraternal twin brother named Osita.
Osita was a linebacker for the Notre Dame Fighting Iris football team. As a freshman and sophomore, he was a squad member in 2019 and 2020 but did not play a single game during his junior year.
His older brother is a graphic designer and animator, while his older sister is a medical student at the University of Chicago.
Ikem EkEkwonu’s career before NFL
Ekwonu grew raised in the Matthews area of North Carolina and went to Providence Day School. He chose North Carolina State over Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia to play collegiate football.
Ekwonu started the final seven games of his rookie season at left tackle, leading the team with 37 pancake blocks and earning a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-America team. He started his second season as a left guard for the Wolfpack.
Ekwonu was shifted back to left tackle during the season and led the Wolfpack with 50 pancake blocks and 22 knockdowns, earning second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors at guard and tackle.
Going into the 2021 season, Ekwonu was selected preseason All-ACC and a preseason All-American by Pro Football Focus and Sporting News. He received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the finest ACC blocker and was a unanimous All-American pick.
After the 2021 season, Ekwonu stated that he would forego his remaining collegiate eligibility to enter the 2022 NFL Draft, where he was chosen sixth overall by the Carolina Panthers. Ekwonu signed a four-year, $27.6 million contract with the Panthers on May 11, 2022, with a $17.2 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option.
