Prince Kelechi Amukamara (born June 6, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and earned unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft, and was a member of the Giants' Super Bowl XLVI championship team as a rookie against his hometown team, the New England Patriots. Amukamara was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints.
Early life Amukamara was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, to parents Romanus and Christy Amukamara, both natives of Nigeria. He soon moved to New Jersey before moving to Glendale, Arizona, when he was five years old.Apollo's TD machine, The Arizona Republic, October 13, 2006. He has five sisters, named Princess, Promise, Peace, Precious, and Passionate. Prince is of Igbo Nigerian descent.UW's Jermaine Kearse matches up with Nebraska's Prince Amukamara Seattle Times, September 15, 2010 His mother was an elite sprinter in Nigeria who was selected for the 1984 Nigerian Olympic team, but did not actually race there.Prince Amukamara's sisters made royal treatment nothing new for Giants' prized NFL Draft pick, Newark Star-Ledger, April 29, 2011. His father is a teacher.
Amukamara attended Apollo High School in Glendale, Arizona, where he excelled in multiple sports. Most notably, Amukamara was a track & field standout in several events, and was one of the Hawks' most explosive weapons on the football field. Through six games in the 2006 season, he had rushed for 1,129 yards and 270 receiving yards on offense and recorded two interceptions on defense. He also had scored 18 offensive touchdowns and three defensive touchdowns. He finished the season with 2,106 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns as a running back and 95 tackles and two interceptions as a defensive back. The Arizona Republic named him the "Big School Player of the Year" in Arizona.Prince has earned his crown, The Arizona Republic, December 24, 2006. Amukamara was also named to the Arizona All-State team by Scout.com.24-7's 4A1 All State Team , Scout.com, December 16, 2006.
Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Amukamara was listed as the 11th best prospect from Arizona. On December 29, 2006, Amukamara committed to play college football at Nebraska. He also received scholarship offers from Colorado, Fresno State, Nevada, Oregon State, UNLV, and UTEP.Prince Amukamara, Rivals.com. During his senior year of high school, when asked what he thought about the recruiting process, he responded, "I'm not worried about the recruiting now. I will look at it closer after the season."
College career Amukamara attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and played for the Cornhuskers from 2007 to 2010. After arriving at Nebraska, Amukamara contemplated playing basketball on top of football, but dropped those plans after fall football practices began.Freshmen getting acclimated to college football, Lincoln Journal Star, August 9, 2007. As a freshman in 2007, Amukamara was described as being a newcomer "with a lot of personality" by senior linebacker Corey McKeon.McKeon wants defense with an attitude, Lincoln Journal Star, August 6, 2007. He made his debut for Nebraska on September 22 against Ball State, playing on special teams.Senior tight end is king of the hill Saturday, Lincoln Journal Star, September 22, 2007. Amukamara finished the year with four tackles in eight games, splitting time in the secondary and on special teams.Prince Amukamara , University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Entering his sophomore season, there was speculation as to whether he would play at running back or cornerback,Today's the Day, Scout.com, March 26, 2008. before being named the back-up cornerback after training camp.Fisher, Compton figure in LB mix, Columbus Telegram, August 27, 2008. He ended up starting the games against Western Michigan, New Mexico State, and Virginia Tech, as he played in all 13 of Nebraska's games. He finished the year with 34 tackles, with his season-high of eight coming against Western Michigan.
As a junior, Amukamara became a starter at cornerback for Nebraska.Guard Williams sits out again , Omaha World-Herald, September 2, 2009. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Amukamara suffered an injury during the game, but did not miss any games.Huskers tap into defensive back depth , Omaha World-Herald, September 27, 2009. Amukamara finished the 2009 season with five interceptions, tied for the most on the team, 11 pass-breakups, 64 tackles, and two sacks. He was named to the first-team All-Big 12 after the season., Lincoln Journal Star, December 1, 2009.
Amukamara tallied 59 tackles and one sack, but no interceptions as a senior.Prince Amukamara, ESPN. However, he only allowed 18 completed passes in his direction on 52 attempts during the season, and was praised for his "lock-down ability" against wide receivers during the season. Following the season, he was recognized as a unanimous All-American,2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 12 (2011). Retrieved June 30, 2012. and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.Texas' Sam Acho and Texas AandM's Von Miller highlight All-Big 12 first team defense, Dallas Morning News, November 30, 2010., Omaha Herald-World, December 2, 2010.Prince hauls in another award , Omaha World-Herald, December 8, 2010. Amukamara was also a Jim Thorpe Award finalist, a Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist, and a Ronnie Lott Trophy quarterfinalist.
While at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Amukamara majored in political science and received his degree in sociology in December 2010.
Professional career Pre-draft Prior to his senior season at Nebraska, a National Football League (NFL) scouting service gave Amukamara a 7.3 rating, which was tied for the highest among 1,400 college seniors that were graded., Omaha World-Herald, July 6, 2010. Sports Illustrated described him as being "physical, possessing solid football speed and top ball skills.", Sports Illustrated, September 2, 2010. They later gave a him a first round grade after other NFL scouts had named him one of the best two seniors in all of college football.Game of the Week: Storied rivalry renewed in Big 12 title game, Sports Illustrated, December 2, 2010. He was projected to be a first round draft pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. Amukamara received an invitation to the NFL combine and completed all of the required positional and combine drills. On March 10, 2011, he participated at Nebraska's pro day along with teammates Niles Paul, Roy Helu, Alex Henery, Eric Hagg, Dejon Gomes, and 12 others. He opted to only perform positional drills for team representatives and scouts who attended. Amukamara was ranked as the second best cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLdraftscout.com, NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and NFL analyst Brian Billick.
New York Giants 2011 The New York Giants selected Amukamara in the first round (19th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft. He was the second cornerback selected behind Patrick Peterson (5th overall).Prince Amukamara set to become a Giant, ESPN, April 29, 2011.
On August 4, 2011, the Giants signed him to a four-year, $8.18 million contract with 90% guaranteed. He was the longest hold out of the 2011 draft class. On August 6, 2011, he was sidelined indefinitely after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during practice.Giants Amukamara hurts foot, out indefinitely, AP, August 6, 2011
On November 20, 2011, Amukamara made his professional regular season debut against the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded a season-high five solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from Vince Young on the first series of a Giants' 10–17 loss. In Week 14, he collected four solo tackles during a 37–34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. He finished his rookie season with 14 combined tackles (12 solo), three pass deflections, and an interception in seven games and zero starts. The New York Giants finished the season with a 9–7 record and received a playoff berth.
On January 8, 2012, Amukamara made his postseason debut and recorded two combined tackles in a 24–2 victory over the Atlanta Falcons during the NFC wildcard game. The Giants went on to defeat the Green Bay Packers 37-20 and the San Francisco 49ers 20–17 in overtime winning the NFC Championship. On February 5, 2012, he made one tackle in a 21–17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
Throughout his rookie season in 2011, he was the New York Giants' third cornerback on their depth chart, behind Aaron Ross and Corey Webster.
2012 He competed with Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Jayron Hosley, and Justin Tryon for the starting cornerback job. He suffered a high ankle sprain during the Giants' preseason game against the Chicago Bears. The injury kept him sidelined for the first two games of the season.
On September 20, 2012, he made his 2012 season debut, recording a tackle and a pass deflection in a 36–7 defeat of the Carolina Panthers. The following week, he earned four solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 17–19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. On October 14, 2012, Amukamara collected six solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from Alex Smith in a 26–3 win against the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 10, he recorded a season-high ten combined tackles during a 13–31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed Week 15 and was limited in Week 16 due to a hamstring injury. He finished the season with 53 combined tackles (45 solo), seven pass deflections, and an interception in 13 games and 11 starts.
2013 In training camp, Amukamara competed with Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, and Jayron Hosley for the starting cornerback position. He was named the starting cornerback with Corey Webster to start the season.
On September 15, 2013, Amukamara recorded a career-high ten solo tackles and defended a pass during a 23–41 loss to the Denver Broncos. On September 29, 2013, he collected three combined tackles, defended two passes, and intercepted Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith in a 7–31 loss. He finished the season with a career-high 85 combined tackles (76 solo), 14 pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.
2014 On May 1, 2014, the New York Giants picked up the fifth-year option for 2015 on Amukamara's rookie contract. He earned a salary of $6.89 million for 2015.
He competed with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond for the starting cornerback job. Head coach Tom Coughlin named him the starting cornerback alongside Rodgers-Cromartie.
On September 14, 2014, he recorded a season-high nine combined tackles and a pass deflection during the Giants' 14–25 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The following week, he earned six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick during a 30–17 victory over the Houston Texans. In Week 4, Amukarmara recorded three combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted Washington Redskins' quarterback Kirk Cousins in a 45–14 victory. He tore his bicep on November 3, 2014, ending his season. He finished with a total of 46 combined (37 solo), 11 deflected passes, and career-high three interceptions.
2015