Look: Dawn Staley wearing Nick Emmanwori jersey on Super Bowl Sunday
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley made her pick for Super Bowl LX clear Sunday afternoon.
Staley wore a Seattle Seahawks No. 3 Nick Emmawori jersey on the sideline of Colonial Life Arena during the Gamecocks’ matchup with Tennessee. Emmawori was an All-American for Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football team.
And he had a phenomenal rookie campaign with the Seahawks in 2025. He finished second in the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year race after tallying 85 tackles, 11 pass defections and an interception. The Irmo High alum was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Staley is notably a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan but made her allegiances to Emmanwori and the Seahawks known earlier this week. One reason for the pick: Emmanwori and Staley’s veteran point guard, Raven Johnson, are dating.
“When you have somebody in [the Super Bowl] it means something, and it means that we produce those high caliber players,” Staley said Friday. “... I’m gonna give my prediction, though. I gotta go with Ray Ray’s [Raven Jonson] man. I got an association with the Seahawks and Nick. So bring it on, Nick.”
Emmanwori is joined by fellow former Gamecock Ernest Jones on the Seahawks. Former USC player Marcellas Dial is part of Seattle’s opponent for the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots.
This story was originally published February 8, 2026 at 3:07 PM.
