Robert Chukwudumebi Nkemdiche (/kɪmˈdiːtʃi/ kim-DEE-chee;^[1] born September 19, 1994) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He attended the University of Mississippi for three years until declaring early for the 2016 NFL Draft where he was picked 29th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. He played for the Cardinals for three years from 2016 to 2018, the Miami Dolphins in 2019, and the Seattle Seahawks in 2021.

Regarded by ESPN as the "Southeast's best high school football prospect since the early 1980s,"^[2] Nkemdiche was the highest-touted prospect committing to the Ole Miss Rebels since Eli Manning in 1999.^[3]

A native of Loganville, Georgia, Nkemdiche attended Grayson High School, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. He played as a defensive end and running back for the Grayson Rams high school football team. In his junior season, he registered 59 tackles and 18 sacks on defense while also running for 528 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns on offense. Grayson High School went undefeated throughout the season, finishing 15–0 with a GHSA 6A state title win over Marietta Walton.^[4] In his senior year, Nkemdiche registered 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and seven sacks on defense, while on offense, he had 235 total rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Early in the season, Grayson defeated Dalvin Cook's Miami (FL) Central 35–3 in a game that was nationally televised on ESPN.^[5] The Rams went on to a 10–2 season record, and were upset by Mitch Hyatt's North Gwinnett in the second round of the GHSA 6A state playoffs.^[6] Nkemdiche was the Gwinnett Daily Post Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career at Grayson with 41 career sacks. He was named first-team All-American as a junior by MaxPreps, as well as second-team as a senior.^[7][8]

In addition, Nkemdiche in track & field during his junior season. At the 2011 Gwinnett County T&F Championship, he earned second-place finishes in both the shot put, with a throw of 13.41 meters (43 ft, 8 in), and the discus, with a throw of 37.98 meters (124 ft, 5 in).^[9] In addition, he had marks of a 350-pound max bench press, 335-pound power clean, 500-pound squat, and a 4.56-second 40-yard dash time.^[10]

One of the most highly touted recruits in the program's history,^[3] Nkemdiche arrived at Ole Miss with plenty of hype, being named the Southeastern Conference (SEC)'s Top Impact Freshman by Sporting News before the season.^[19] He played in 11 games with 10 starts (six at defensive end and four at defensive tackle), and amassed 34 tackles (25 solo), 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups, and three quarterback hurries on the 2013 season. Nkemdiche made his college debut against conference opponent Vanderbilt, posting two tackles with a tackle-for-loss and a pass break-up.^[20] He missed the Louisiana State and Idaho games with a strained hamstring.^[21] After the season, Nkemdiche was named Freshman All-SEC by the league's coaches, and a First team Freshman All-American selection by Athlon and College Football News. As a sophomore, Nkemdiche started every game at the defensive tackle position on an Ole Miss defensive line that led the nation in scoring defense (16.0 ppg) and lead the SEC in tackles for loss (7.6/game). Nkemdiche himself contributed 35 tackles with 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, and a pass breakup on the season. His best game was against in-state rival Mississippi State, in which he was credited for a career-high seven tackles, of which three were solo, and one tackle-for-a-loss. Nkemdiche was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award and was named All-SEC first team by Associated Press (AP), as well as All-America second team by AP, Sporting News, USA Today, and CBS Sports.

After an incident involving marijuana (see below) in December 2015, Nkemdiche was suspended for the 2016 Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma State.^[22] After the season, Nkemdiche decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.^[23]

Nkemdiche was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Nigerian immigrants Beverly and Sunday Nkemdiche. His father, a cardiologist, has reportedly applied for a researcher position at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.^[47] Nkemdiche's mother, a politician, returned to Nigeria in 2009 and as of September 2011^[update] represents Onitsha South in the Anambra State House of Assembly.^[48] His older brother, Denzel Nkemdiche, played linebacker for Ole Miss.^[49]

On December 12, 2015, Nkemdiche fell from a fourth-floor window of the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. "It appears that the victim (Nkemdiche) broke the window and then walked approximately 15 feet and climbed over a wall and fell approximately 15 feet," read the Atlanta Police Department report.^[50] Nkemdiche was conscious and in stable condition when officers reported to the scene, and was immediately transported to Grady Memorial Hospital. Police later found seven marijuana cigarettes in Nkemdiche's room, leading him to be charged with drug possession.^[51]