Former South Carolina pass-rusher signing brings Super Bowl hopes back to NFC North

One NFC North team is looking to get back in the mix for the Super Bowl in 2026 and beyond, and it's turning to a former South Carolina Gamecock in doing so. Although NFL Free Agency has largely wound down, the Detroit Lions made a big move this week. 

On Wednesday, the Lions signed EDGE rusher D.J. Wonnum to its roster. Wonnum spent the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. Just this past season, Wonnum made 15 starts for the Panthers, accounting for 42 total tackles, including four for loss with three sacks. He added an interception and three passes defended, while helping Carolina win the NFC South last season. 

Wonnum played in just eight games for the Panthers in 2024, dealing with a partially torn quad he suffered late in the 2023 season. Wonnum was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, who took Wonnum with the 117th overall pick. 

Over his four seasons in Minnesota, he made 31 game starts while racking up 171 tackles with 23 total sacks, including another 11 passes defended.

The Lions recently lost the likes of linebacker Alex Anzalone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so Wonnum comes to Detroit at just the right time. Despite making it to the NFC Championship in 2024, the Lions finished 2025 9-8 and missed out of the playoffs entirely.     

Wonnum played in Columbia from 2016-2019, playing under former Gamecock head coach Will Muschamp. As a consistent starter as a true freshman, Wonnum finished his Gamecock career with 137 total tackles, 14 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss. 2017 was his best season in Columbia, accounting for 57 stops with six sacks, as South Carolina finished 9-4 on the season. 

Congrats to Wonnum on his new team!