Tonka Hemingway
American football player (born 2001)
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Terrell H. "Tonka" Hemingway (born October 31, 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Conway, South Carolina, U.S.
Hemingway with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2021 | |||||||||||
| No. 97 – Las Vegas Raiders | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | October 31, 2001 Conway, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 284 lb (129 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Conway (SC) | ||||||||||
| College | South Carolina (2020–2024) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 4th round, 135th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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Early life
Hemingway was born on October 31, 2001 in Conway, South Carolina.[1] He attended Conway High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball.[2] As a senior, he notched 92 tackles with 24 being for a loss.[3] Coming out of high school, Hemingway committed to play college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.[4]
College career
During the 2020 season, Hemingway tallied 16 tackles with one being for a loss, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.[5] In the 2021 season, he played in six games and had six tackles.[6] In 2022, Hemingway tallied 33 tackles with eight being for a loss, four sacks, a pass deflection, and two fumble recoveries.[7] In week 12 of the 2023 season, he had the game-winning fumble recovery against Kentucky.[8] Hemingway finished the season making 32 tackles with four and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, seven pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries.[9]
Professional career
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 284 lb (129 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 5.01 s | 1.89 s | 2.87 s | 4.48 s | 7.36 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[10][11][12] | ||||||||||||
Hemingway was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round (135th overall) at the 2025 NFL draft.[13]
NFL career statistics
Personal life
Hemingway is the younger brother of former NFL wide receiver, Junior Hemingway.[14][15]