| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | January 8, 1997 Douala, Cameroon | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | St. Charles (MD) | ||
| College: | Temple | ||
| Position: | Linebacker | ||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||
| |||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
William Kwenkeu (born January 8, 1997) is a Cameroonian-born American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football for the Temple Owls and was signed by the Vikings after going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kwenkeu was born in Cameroon in 1997, the son of high-ranking army officer Francois Kwenkeu and Martine Etammane, who named him after Bill Clinton.[1] Kwenkeu attended a Catholic boarding school in Douala until 2012, when Etammane, who had moved to the United States two years earlier and worked as a hair stylist and nursing assistant, earned enough money to bring her son over. While attending McDonough High School, Kwenkeu tried out for the football team as a sophomore, and excelled despite initially not knowing the game's rules. He transferred to St. Charles High School in 2014,[2] where he played running back, linebacker, placekicker, punter, and returner. In 2016, Kwenkeu became the first athlete from St. Charles to play in the NCAA when he accepted a football scholarship from Temple University.[3]
Kwenkeu spent six seasons playing linebacker for the Temple Owls due to redshirting one year and the extra year of eligibility the NCAA accorded to student-athletes whose careers were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] He recorded his first two sacks as a college player during the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl, which helped the Owls to a 28–3 victory.[4] Kwenkeu became a regular starter in 2020, and had a breakout season in 2021.[1] He scored his first college touchdown that year on a fumble return against the Akron Zips in a game where he also had two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, a performance that resulted in him winning an American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award.[5][6] In his final year, Kwenkeu totaled 51 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble each forced and recovered. In his college career in total, he played in 47 games,[7] during which he recorded 183 tackles and seven sacks.[8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m) |
221 lb (100 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.59 s | 1.49 s | 2.67 s | 4.32 s | 6.87 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
22 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[9] | ||||||||||||
The Minnesota Vikings signed Kwenkeu on May 16, 2022, after he participated in the team's rookie minicamp.[5][7] He became the only African-born player on the Minnesota roster, among several other players with African heritage.[10] Kwenkeu was waived by the Vikings at the end of August 2022 as they cut down their roster to 53 players,[11] but was signed to Minnesota's practice squad soon after.[12] He was elevated to the active roster for Minnesota's Thursday Night Football game against the New England Patriots, making him the ninth Cameroonian to play in the NFL.[1] Kwenkeu was also placed on the active roster for the Week 13 game against the New York Jets,[13] and was signed to the active roster on December 14.[14] Kwenkeu played his first snap on defense (rather than special teams) during Minnesota's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17.[1]
On August 13, 2023, he was waived with an injury designation.[15] After clearing waivers, he reverted to the injured reserve list.[16] He was released on March 12, 2024.[17]
Kwenkeu spoke very little English when he first arrived in the United States at age 14 and has credited football with helping him learn the language.[2][10] He became an American citizen in 2017.[4]