A five-year South Carolina Gamecock who tied a school record for games played, Tonka Hemingway flashed real pass-rush upside as a rookie for the Raiders.
Tonka Hemingway is a defensive tackle the Raiders drafted in the fourth round in 2025 out of South Carolina, where he became one of the most durable defensive linemen in program history. He comes from an NFL family, following older brother Junior Hemingway, a former Kansas City Chiefs receiver, into the league.
Path to the league
Hemingway played five seasons at South Carolina from 2020 to 2024, appearing in all 61 games of his college career to tie a school record. The Raiders selected him in the fourth round, 135th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Over his Gamecocks career, Hemingway totaled 17.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 11 pass breakups and six fumble recoveries, including a game-winning fumble recovery against Kentucky in 2023. His older brother Junior Hemingway played receiver at Michigan and appeared in 31 games for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2012 to 2014.
2025 season recap
As a rookie, Hemingway appeared in 9 games for the Raiders without a start, but produced immediately as a pass rusher with 4.0 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. It was a productive debut season for a fourth-round pick expected to develop into an interior rotation piece.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Tonka Hemingway
- Raiders.com: Tonka Hemingway
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
9 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | raiders | 9 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- South Carolina
- Hometown
- Conway, SC, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
