South Carolina football’s Nick Emmanwori recently revealed which NFL quarterback he wants to intercept when he makes the jump to the professional level. The Gamecocks’ star safety is earning a lot of hype ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. And it’s not a surprise to South Carolina football fans as Emmanwori’s production was essential to this program’s rise up the vaunted SEC Conference.
The 2024 First-team All-American is projected to be a first-round pick in various mock drafts. And Emmanwori already seems to be chomping at the bit to prove himself at the next level. In a recent interview with the NFL Network, the 21-year-old revealed which quarterback he wants to pick off the most.
“Lamarvelous. A lot of dudes say guys like Pat Mahomes and other quarterbacks, but Lamar is kind of like the best quarterback to me. I have never seen a dude play quarterback and be that athletic and that efficient. I think he’s the best quarterback in the NFL right now. (If I pick him off) I think I’d beat him to the endzone.”
Nick Emmanwori’s comments were the perfect combination of confidence and respect
The Gamecocks will miss Emmanwori. The standout safety had a fantastic freshman year in Columbia and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. The Greensboro, North Carolina native followed that season with a year that saw him set career highs in categories like interceptions and passes defended. Emmanwori subsequently put it all together his junior year, recording a career-high 88 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. At 6’3, 220 pounds, South Carolina’s best defensive player is an imposing presence with strengths that’ll seamlessly fit in the modern-day NFL.
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks head into a 2025 season with their highest expectations in recent memory. South Carolina football is projected as the No. 10 team in the country in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings. Head coach Shane Beamer propelled last year’s team to within a few teams of the College Football Playoff. The expectation is for the Gamecocks to make it into the twelve-team field in 2025. Bringing back star SEC Freshman of the Year in quarterback LaNorris Sellers naturally raises the stakes for this program.
Overall, Nick Emmanwori’s comments paint an encouraging outlook on his future. Lamar Jackson is the kind of player from whom several players like Emmanwori and LaNorris Sellers should take inspiration. Everyone talks about the Ravens’ star quarterback’s electric play and talent. However, the work that Jackson has had to put in over the years to improve his greatest weaknesses has been nothing short of remarkable.
Several pundits were saying the two-time MVP should consider converting to wide receiver ahead of the 2018 NFL. This was due to the presumption that Lamar was too inaccurate to be a starting quarterback at the next level. Now, Jackson is coming off a year where he completed 66.7% of his passes for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. If Emmanwori and Sellers adopt the superstar quarterbacks’ work ethic going forward in their careers they will both go on to be phenomenal professional athletes.
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