Eastern Michigan Athletics
James Djonkam Named MAC Defensive Player of the Week
9/2/2024 11:01:00 AM | Football
Junior transfer tallied a MAC-leading 13.0 tackles in his EMU debut as the Eagles won at UMass, 28-14
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) — The first weekly awards for the 2024 football season were announced by the Mid-American Conference (MAC) today, Sept. 2, with Eastern Michigan University linebacker James Djonkam (Springfield, Va./West Springfield/Arizona State) earning MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. Djonkam was instrumental in helping the Eagles' defense limit the attack of the University of Massachusetts as Eastern won, 28-14, on the road Saturday, Aug. 31.
Djonkam made the most of his debut with the Eagles as the Arizona State transfer led the team with 13.0 tackles, including a team-best 3.0 solo stops, while chipping in 1.0 sacks and 1.5 TFLs. The linebacker's tackle total stands as the fifth-most in the nation this year and the most by a player in the MAC. Additionally, he was one of five Eastern players to record at least part of one sack on the day, helping EMU post 6.0 sacks, the most since posting 7.0 against Western Michigan in 2022, and the fifth-most in a single game in program history.
For Djonkam, who shared this week's defensive honor with Shaun Dolac of the University at Buffalo, the 13.0 tackles nearly doubled is his career-best day on the field as he recorded 7.0 tackles, Sept. 30, 2023, in a game at the University of California while playing for the Sun Devils. He also bettered his career-high TFL total with 1.5 against UMass, surpassing the 1.0 he recorded twice for ASU with the last coming at Washington State University, Nov. 12, 2022.
Djonkam is set to face a familiar opponent this week as he and Eagles travel to Seattle, Wash., to face the University of Washington Huskies Saturday, Sept. 7. The game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET) kick off live on the Big Ten Network and can be heard live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, Rob Rubick, and Greg Steiner calling the action from inside Husky Stadium.
2024 MAC Players of the Week
Week 1 (Sept. 2)
Offense: Ethan Hampton (QB) • Northern Illinois
Defense: James Djonkam (LB) • Eastern Michigan & Shaun Dolac (LB) • Buffalo
Special Teams: Justin Pegues (KR) • Bowling Green
Djonkam made the most of his debut with the Eagles as the Arizona State transfer led the team with 13.0 tackles, including a team-best 3.0 solo stops, while chipping in 1.0 sacks and 1.5 TFLs. The linebacker's tackle total stands as the fifth-most in the nation this year and the most by a player in the MAC. Additionally, he was one of five Eastern players to record at least part of one sack on the day, helping EMU post 6.0 sacks, the most since posting 7.0 against Western Michigan in 2022, and the fifth-most in a single game in program history.
For Djonkam, who shared this week's defensive honor with Shaun Dolac of the University at Buffalo, the 13.0 tackles nearly doubled is his career-best day on the field as he recorded 7.0 tackles, Sept. 30, 2023, in a game at the University of California while playing for the Sun Devils. He also bettered his career-high TFL total with 1.5 against UMass, surpassing the 1.0 he recorded twice for ASU with the last coming at Washington State University, Nov. 12, 2022.
Djonkam is set to face a familiar opponent this week as he and Eagles travel to Seattle, Wash., to face the University of Washington Huskies Saturday, Sept. 7. The game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET) kick off live on the Big Ten Network and can be heard live on WEMU (89.1 FM) and The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer, Rob Rubick, and Greg Steiner calling the action from inside Husky Stadium.
2024 MAC Players of the Week
Week 1 (Sept. 2)
Offense: Ethan Hampton (QB) • Northern Illinois
Defense: James Djonkam (LB) • Eastern Michigan & Shaun Dolac (LB) • Buffalo
Special Teams: Justin Pegues (KR) • Bowling Green
Players Mentioned
LB
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