Yosh Nijman facts for kids
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Nijman with the Green Bay Packers in 2022
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| No. 77 – Carolina Panthers | |||||
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| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | January 2, 1996 Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 314 lb (142 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Columbia (Maplewood, New Jersey) |
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| College: | Virginia Tech (2014–2018) | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2019 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Yosuah Hesdy Nijman (born January 2, 1996) is a talented American football player. He plays as an offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the pros, he played college football at Virginia Tech.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Yosh Nijman was born on January 2, 1996, in Orange, New Jersey. His parents are from Suriname. He grew up in Maplewood, a town nearby.
Yosh played football at Columbia High School. He was an offensive tackle for the Columbia Cougars team. After high school, he spent a semester at Fork Union Military Academy. There, he played as a defensive end.
He was considered a top player by scouting services like Rivals.com and 247Sports. Many colleges wanted him to play for them, including Temple, Miami, and Virginia.
College Career at Virginia Tech
Yosh Nijman decided to play college football at Virginia Tech. He committed to the team in 2014. Even though he was first expected to play on defense, he ended up playing on the offensive line.
During his first year in 2014, Yosh played in 12 games as a backup player. In 2015, his second year, he became a starter. He played in all 14 games as the starting left tackle.
In 2016, he played in 9 games but missed the last 5 due to an injury. He came back strong for his senior year. He continued to play left tackle, which allowed another player, Christian Darrisaw, to play right tackle. Yosh faced another injury that cut his season short, making him miss the last three games. After the 2018 season, he decided to enter the NFL draft.
Professional Football Journey
Green Bay Packers
After his college career, Yosh Nijman joined the Green Bay Packers. He signed with them as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2019. This means he wasn't chosen in the main draft but was still picked up by a team.
He was briefly waived (released) by the team but then signed to their practice squad. Later that year, he was moved to the active roster. However, an elbow injury ended his first season early.
In 2020, Yosh made the Packers' main roster. He mostly played on special teams, which are units used for kickoffs and punts. In 2021, he signed a new contract to stay with the Packers.
Yosh started the 2021 season as the third-string left tackle. But due to injuries to other players, he got his chance to start. He made his first career start in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers. He continued to start for several games, showing how reliable he was.
His teammate, star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, even gave him a fun nickname: "The World's Biggest Robot." This was because Yosh did "The Robot" dance during a touchdown celebration. Rodgers praised Yosh, saying he trusted him to protect him during games.
Later in the 2021 season, another injury to a teammate meant Yosh stepped in again as the starting left tackle. He continued to play an important role for the team. In 2022, he signed another contract with the Packers. He also played as the starting right tackle in some games.
Carolina Panthers
On March 18, 2024, Yosh Nijman signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. He continues his professional football career with his new team.
