Nnamdi Madubuike ( MAD-ə-BEE-kay; born November 17, 1997), formerly known as Justin Madubuike, is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Early life
Nnamdi Madubuike was born in Dallas, Texas to Nigerian parents. Madubuike attended McKinney North High School in McKinney, Texas. He was selected to play in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Game. He committed to Texas A&M University to play college football.
College career
Madubuike redshirted his first year at Texas A&M in 2016. In 2017, he appeared in all 13 games, recording 20 tackles. He again appeared in all 13 games in 2018, finishing with 40 tackles and 5.5 sacks. As a junior he had 45 tackles and 5.5 sacks. After the season, he decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2020 NFL draft. He decided to sit out the 2019 Texas Bowl.
Professional career
2020 season
The Baltimore Ravens selected Madubuike with 71st overall pick in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. He missed the first four games of the season after suffering a knee sprain late in training camp. Later that season, he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 27, 2020, becoming one of 18 players to be placed on that list prior to their Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was activated on December 7. In Week 16 against the New York Giants, Madubuike recorded his first career sack on Daniel Jones during the 27–13 win. Although he was used somewhat sparingly during the season, he would play in 10 games with three starts with 19 combined tackles and 1.0 sacks.
2021 season
Madubuike would see some more playing time down the stretch during the 2021 season due to the numerous injuries the Ravens endured during the season. He recorded his first sack of the season in the Ravens' 23–7 Week 4 win over Denver Broncos. He recorded another sack in the Ravens' 30–31 Week 15 loss over Green Bay Packers. He played in 15 games with 11 starts, finishing with 36 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, and 2 pass-breakups.
2022 season
Madubuike's production increased in his third season as a Raven. He played in all 17 games, starting all but one of them, recording 42 combined tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3 pass-breakups.
2023 season
Madubuike had a breakout season in 2023. He recorded at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games between Weeks 4 to 14, tying the NFL record held by Jared Allen, Chris Jones, Trey Hendrickson, and Shaun Ellis. He recorded 2.0 sacks in the 24–16 Week 6 win over the Tennessee Titans. In the following week's 38–6 blowout win over the Detroit Lions, he strip sacked Jared Goff in the first quarter, although the fumble was recovered by the Lions Penei Sewell. In Week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Madubuike became the first Raven since 2017 to reach double digit sacks after getting a half-sack on Justin Herbert in the second quarter (Travis Jones combined with Madubuike for the sack). His record-tying sack in Week 14 was a strip sack of Trevor Lawrence, with the resulting fumble recovered by Patrick Queen. He was named to his first career Pro Bowl on January 3, 2024. He was ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
2024 season
On March 5, 2024, the Ravens placed the franchise tag on Madubuike. Three days later, on March 8, the Ravens signed Madubuike to a four-year, $98 million contract extension.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
Madubuike went by his English first name Justin, which is written on his birth certificate, from elementary school until 2024. During the 2024 offseason, he opted to switch to his Nigerian name Nnamdi in recognition of his heritage.
References
External links
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- Baltimore Ravens bio
- Texas A&M Aggies bio
- Media related to Justin Madubuike at Wikimedia Commons
