Noah Igbinoghene ( ; born November 27, 1999) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

and was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

Early years

Igbinoghene is of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n descent, and lived in Nigeria for part of his life. Both of his parents,

Festus Festus may refer to: People Ancient world *Porcius Festus, Roman governor of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD *Sextus Pompeius Festus (later 2nd century), Roman grammarian *Festus (died 305), martyr along with Proculus of Pozzuoli *Festus (h ...

and

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

, were Olympic athletes in track and field. Igbinoghene attended

Hewitt-Trussville High School Hewitt-Trussville High School (HTHS) is a four-year public high school in the city of Trussville, Alabama. It is the only high school in Trussville City Schools and is named for the early local educator Robert Hewitt. School colors are red and gray ...

Trussville, Alabama Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population at the 2020 census was 26,123. Geography Trussvi ...

. He played on the football team at wide receiver. As a senior, he tallied over 1,700 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns. He received All-USA Today Alabama and ASWA Class 7A All-state honors. He was a multiple state champion in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, claiming eight

Alabama High School Athletic Association The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), based in Montgomery, is the governing body for interscholastic athletics and activities programs for public schools in Alabama. The AHSAA is a member National Federation of State High School ...

titles between the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

College career

Igbinoghene accepted a football scholarship from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

, where he played from 2017 to 2019. As a true freshman, he was a backup wide receiver, playing mostly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He appeared in 14 games, tallying 6 receptions for 24 yards and 24 kickoff returns for 571 yards (23.8-yard avg.). As a sophomore, he was converted into a cornerback during the spring. He became a starter that season, registering 50 tackles and 11 pass breakups. He made 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups in the season opener against the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. He had a 96-yard kickoff return for touchdown and forced a fumble against the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. He made 7 tackles against the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. He had 5 tackles against

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

in the

2018 Music City Bowl The 2018 Music City Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2018 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the 21st edition of the Music City Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS footba ...

. As a junior, he posted 42 tackles and 7 pass breakups. He made 8 tackles against

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. He had 6 tackles against

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. He made 5 tackles against the

. He set a school bowl record with a 96-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the

2020 Outback Bowl The 2020 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2020, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. It was the 34th edition of the Outback Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football ...

. He declared for the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

after the season. He finished his career with 92 tackles, one

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

and 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also practiced

, competing in the

and

. He finished fourth in the triple jump at the War Eagle Invitational in 2018.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Igbinoghene was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

in the first round (30th overall) of the

. The Dolphins previously moved down from one of the first round draft selections they acquired in the trade that sent

Kenny Stills Kenneth Lee Stills Jr. (born April 22, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years St ...

and

Laremy Tunsil Laremy Alexander Tunsil (born August 2, 1994) is an American football offensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. High school career A native ...

to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

. Entering the league as a 20-year-old rookie made Igbinoghene the youngest player in the NFL, furthermore, his offseason was limited and the preseason games were canceled because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In the second game of the season against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, starter Byron Jones left after the opening drive with a groin injury, forcing Igbinoghene to cover

Stefon Diggs Stefon Marsean Diggs (born November 29, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round ...

the rest of the game and allowing 8 receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown. He would start the next 2 contests in place of Jones, with mixed results. He appeared in all 16 games with 2 starts, finishing with 10 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries, 3

tackles and 4 kickoff returns for 68 yards (17-yard avg.). In 2021, he struggled on the field, appearing in 7 games with one start, while making 4 defensive tackles and 2

tackles . He was declared inactive in 6 contests. He also missed 2 contests on the Reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list. In Week 6, he was named the starter against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

and had 4 tackles. In 2022, he appeared in 9 games with 2 starts, collecting 10 tackles, one interception, and three passes defended. He was declared inactive in 8 contests. A rash of injuries at the cornerback position, allowed him the opportunity to play in a stretch of 5 games. In Week 8, he was named the starter and secured a game-sealing interception (first in his career) in the waning seconds of a 16–10 victory against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, to go along with 4 tackles and one pass defensed. He also started in Week 14 against the

and had 2 tackles. In 2023, the Dolphins declined his contract fifth-year option. He also faced increased competition during the preseason, with the signing of

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

Jalen Ramsey Jalen Lattrel Ramsey (born October 24, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State Seminoles football, Florida State and was drafted by the ...

Eli Apple Eli Apple (né Woodard, born August 9, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio State, where he was a part of the ...

and the selection of rookie second-round draft choice

Cam Smith Cam Smith is a British comic book artist and inker known to British comic book readers for his work on '' 2000 AD'' and in the American comic book market for his collaborations with Gary Frank, inking that would earn him an Eisner Award nomina ...

Dallas Cowboys

On August 29, 2023, the Dolphins traded Igbinoghene to the

in exchange for cornerback

Kelvin Joseph Kelvin Joseph Jr (born November 11, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He played college fo ...

. In his Cowboys debut, he scored the Cowboys' first touchdown of the season on a 58-yard blocked field goal return, kickstarting the Cowboys' 40–0 shutout win over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys bioAuburn Tigers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Igbinoghene, Noah 1999 births Living people American sportspeople of Nigerian descent People from Trussville, Alabama Nigerian players of American football Players of American football from Alabama American football cornerbacks Auburn Tigers football players Miami Dolphins players Dallas Cowboys players 21st-century African-American sportspeople