D. J. Wonnum

Dennis O. "D. J." Wonnum Jr (born October 31, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina.

D. J. Wonnum
No. 98 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1997-10-31) October 31, 1997
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Stephenson High School
(Stone Mountain, Georgia)
College:South Carolina
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Second team All-SEC (2019)
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:22
Sacks:3.0
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:0
Pass deflections:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life and high school

Wonnum grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia and attended Stephenson High School.[1] As a senior, he was named All-Region after recording 38 tackles with 11 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Wonnum initially committed to play college football at Iowa State before de-committing after a coaching change. He subsequently committed to attend Indiana before de-committing a second time and signing to play at South Carolina.[2]

College career

Wonnum played in all of South Carolina's games as a true freshman, recording 32 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.[3] Wonnum was named a permanent team captain going into his sophomore year and finished the season with 57 tackles and led the team with 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks.[4][5] He injured his ankle during the Gamecocks' season opener as a junior, and only played in five games. He compiled 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks during the injury-shortened season.[6][7] As a senior, Wonnum recorded 37 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks with three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, one blocked kick, and an interception and was named second team All-Southeastern Conference.[8][9]

Professional career

Wonnum was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 117th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.[10]

In Week 4 against the Houston Texans, Wonnum recorded his first career sack on Deshaun Watson during the 31–23 win. [11] In Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, Wonnum recorded a strip sack on Aaron Rodgers which was recovered by teammate Eric Wilson late in the fourth quarter to secure a 28–22 Vikings' win.[12] In Week 10 against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, Wonnum recorded a sack on Nick Foles during the 19–13 win.[13]

Personal life

Wonnum's younger brother, Dylan, is a starting offensive lineman at South Carolina.[14]

References
  1. Vinel, Chris (February 27, 2020). "High school teammates hope to return to Atlanta". SI.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  2. Kornblut, Phil (January 24, 2016). "Gamecocks flip defensive end prospect Dennis Wonnum". The State. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  3. Stanley, Chris (August 1, 2017). "DJ Wonnum looks to build off a strong freshman season at South Carolina". GarnetAndBlackAttack.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  4. "South Carolina football: Gamecocks name 2017 captains". The State. December 17, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. "A healthy DJ Wonnum, deep Gamecock D-line will 'shock a lot of people'". The Greenville News. August 12, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  6. "South Carolina moves on without injured defensive star D.J. Wonnum". The Post and Courier. September 12, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  7. Hadley, Greg (March 6, 2019). "Medical redshirt still possible, but this Gamecock is treating 2019 as his senior year". The News & Observer. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  8. Ledbetter, D. Orlando (February 21, 2020). "NFL combine invitee: D.J. Wonnum, DL, Stephenson HS, South Carolina". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  9. Miller, Makenzie (December 9, 2019). "Three Gamecocks named to All-SEC second team". WACH.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  10. Del Bianco, Josh (April 25, 2020). "D.J. Wonnum drafted by Minnesota". WISTV. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. "Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans - October 4th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  12. "Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers - November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  13. "Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears - November 16th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  14. Kendall, Josh (August 21, 2019). "How D.J. and Dylan Wonnum went from punching a hole in the wall to starting for South Carolina". The Athletic. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
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