Elon University Athletics

The second all-time tackler in the history of the Elon football program, Chad Nkang lettered for the Phoenix from 2003-06. After beginning his playing career as a fullback, Nkang made the move to linebacker as a sophomore and promptly earned first-team All-Southern Conference and second-team All-South Region honors after making 135 total tackles and recovering three fumbles. In his junior season of 2005 he was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and picked up first-team All-America honors from four organizations along with second-team Associated Press All-America accolades. The 2005 Football Gazette National Linebacker of the Year and Southeast Region Linebacker of the Year finished fifth in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented to the top FCS defensive player in the country. That year he led the division with 13.82 tackles per game. As a senior in 2006, Nkang again garnered SoCon Defensive Player of the Year distinction along with all-conference honors. He was named a first-team All-American by two organizations and a second-team pick by two others. The 2006 team MVP placed eighth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award that season and was again named the Football Gazette National Linebacker of the Year. He was named the 2007 recipient of Elon's Stein H. Basnight Award, which is presented annually to the athletic program's top male and female athlete. Nkang would participate in the Hula Bowl, earning team MVP honors, and attend the NFL Combine. In his three seasons on the defensive side of the ball, Nkang amassed 414 total tackles, including 181 solo stops and nine sacks. Nkang was a seventh-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played two seasons with the Jaguars, including the 2007 season that saw the team reach the NFL Playoffs. He set a franchise record as a rookie by making 30 tackles on special teams.