NC State's projected first-round NFL Draft pick Ikem Ekwonu is more than a football player

RALEIGH — Ikem Ekwonu is more than a football player.

He's an actor.

Ekwonu spent his third- through fifth-grade summers with a Charlotte-based musical theatre group, playing parts in "The Jungle Book" and "The Aristocats" before landing a leading role as Pongo, the male protagonist in the "101 Dalmatians" musical.

He's a salesman.

In high school, he sold Cutco knives door-to-door, a multi-level marking endeavor that is failed by most. Ekwonu took it seriously, dressing up in a button-up shirt and tie when he rehearsed his pitch for his parents. He made thousands — plural — in one summer his junior year.

He's an investor.

Ekwonu came to N.C. State to play football but also to study business administration, just like his fraternal twin brother, Osita, who plays football at Notre Dame. He studies the stock market and has made more than a little pocket change investing in cryptocurrency.

He's a prankster.

While living with fellow offensive lineman Derrick Eason — he swears this was only in retaliation — Ekwonu flipped Eason's metal bed frame upside down and made his bed like normal.

"I'm not going to lie, like, the bed was heavy and it was hard to flip over," Ekwonu told the USA Today Network, laughing. "When he came back, it took him like an hour and a half to flip it back over."

Most of all, though, he is joy incarnate.

Even when he's earning syrup bottles for pancaking defenders violently into the earth, the 6-foot-4, 320-pound future NFL first-round draft pick wears a smile that's been permanently attached to his face since birth.

His mother, Amaka, knows better than anyone the warmth of his presence and the strength of the hugs she receives when he comes home to visit

"He's always been a joy," Amaka told the USA Today Network. "He's been very happy, boisterous, from day one, even as a teeny, weeny baby. He's a very happy young man. It's in his DNA."

Ikem (pronounced ee-kem) goes by "Ickey," a nickname given to him by his Pop Warner coach, who thought he resembled former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods.

But his full given name, Ikemefuna, was chosen from the book "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Ikemfuna is one of the heroes of the story. Ikem loosely translates to "my effort will not be in vain."

"He has lived up to his name," his father, Tagbo, who goes by T.J., told the USA Today Network. T.J. stands 6-foot-6 and played college basketball in Nigeria before immigrating to the United State and becoming a doctor. "Everything he has wanted, he has achieved. But he also had fun with everything he did. Even in sports, playing football at an early age, he was always laughing and smiling."

It's a habit he's never been able to break since he started playing flag football at the age of seven. He played running back in his youth, and every time he'd touch the ball a huge grin would spread across his face.

"I feel like I've always just had that, like, childlike mindset when it comes to football," he said. "I'm playing a game. It's just fun. Anytime I'm running into space, it feels like I'm in the backyard playing flag football. I've never lost that playfulness about the game. When I'm running out there, even now, I'm always smiling,"

But Ekwonu rarely gives opponents much to smile about. He's been called "the most feared lineman in the ACC" and was named one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman in the country. He leads the Wolfpack with 63 pancake blocks and 18 knockdowns.

“He’s one of those guys that puts his helmet on and changes," N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. "He wants to finish people."

Ekwonu brothers' competition

Ekwonu wasn't always seen as a budding football star or even the best player in his house.

That distinction went to Osita, a four-star rated linebacker, who garnered most of the attention after they transferred to Charlotte’s Providence Day from Weddington High when they were freshmen.

Ekwonu emerged as a starting lineman on both sides of the ball as a junior. Unlike Osita, who was getting offers from Alabama, Notre Dame and Louisville all in one day, Ekwonu's first offer came from Charlotte and later Appalachian State as well as a few FCS programs.

Recruiters would sometimes approach Ekwonu to get to his brother, but he was smart enough to sniff them out. Being overlooked sparked a drive in Ekwonu.

"I started wanting to show people that I was the best," he said. "I wanted to dominate people. But a lot of my motivation came from not wanting to let my team down."

He kept improving. He won a state championship in wrestling and began to garner the attention of recruiters as he grew into his body and athleticism. He turned heads when he landed on N.C. State, committing before his senior season for more than just its football program. He took his first official visit with his dad on a weekend in December of 2018 with no football games, touring the business school and meeting the coaching staff for the first time.

He returned in the summer with his mother. On the ride home from Raleigh, he called his father on his cell phone.

"Dad, this is home," he said. "This is where I want to play."

Upward trajectory

Doeren first saw Ekwonu play after he committed to the Wolfpack.

"It was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen by a lineman,” he said. "I came back and told our staff, 'This guy will start as a freshman.' "

In 2019, Ekwonu became NC State’s first true freshman to start at offensive tackle in nine years and earned freshman All-American honors.

It's been an upward trajectory for him ever since, climbing up NFL draft boards during his third season with the Wolfpack.

CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso's latest mock draft has Ekwonu going No. 9 to the New York Giants. ESPN's Mel Kiper listed Ekwonu as the No. 1 offensive guard prospect and No. 17 player overall. The Athletic's Dane Brugler projects Ekwonu as the No. 5 overall player.

He's now left with a decision:

Stay or go.

He said earlier this week that he would participate in N.C. State's senior night festivities against UNC in Friday's regular-season finale, but has not yet decided if he will go pro or return for another season in Raleigh.

"Money isn't really the motivation of why I would leave," Ekwonu told the USA Today Network. "The reason I would leave would be because I've dominated at this level for as long as I have and I feel like it's time for that next step."

For Ekwonu, the joy of playing football outweighs the potential monetary gains. It's not as if he's making the decision lightly, he just doesn't want football to be that serious.

"At the end of the day, it's a game," he said. "No matter if you play good or bad, it's still a game. It shouldn't define you. If you carry that mindset I feel like you never lose love for the sport. I don't plan on ever losing that love."

Want more?

NEW PODCAST: Recap NC State's wild comeback win over UNC and spend some time getting inside the head of OL Ikem Ekwonu as he discusses his football future, his family and his former acting career.

https://bleav.com/shows/nc-state/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bleav-in-nc-state/id1593058105

https://open.spotify.com/show/0818tvjo5h0hmiaeSHoy4B

David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: NC State's projected first-round NFL Draft pick Ikem Ekwonu is more than a football player