Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 35-3vs East Tennessee State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#89
Emmanuel Nwaiwu
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman on North Carolina's 2026 roster.
6′4″ · 250 lb · Chateauguay, PQ · Vanier College
Returning to North Carolina for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
1 tackles
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 tackles, vs East Tennessee State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 defensive lineman on North Carolina's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to North Carolina in 2025.
Emmanuel Nwaiwu
The receipt on tape: 1 tackles against East Tennessee State, Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- game log
His career
2025
- Signed with North Carolina3-star out of Vanier College
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
North Carolina
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2026North Carolina2-0HC: Bill Belichick · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bill Belichick
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Carolina | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
North Carolina
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · North Carolina
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -12 net (19 in / 31 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
North Carolina · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #28 · 2026 recruiting class #19
Background
2025 Freshman Season Did not appear in any games and redshirted
The defensive line · North Carolina
- #9Melkart Abou-Jaoude12 tackles for loss · 2025
- Isaiah Johnson2.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #11Jaylen Harvey1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #90Xavier Lewis0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #89Emmanuel Nwaiwu1 game · 2026
12 more on the roster · North Carolina team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology