Uchechukwu Eberechukwu "Uche" Nwaneri is an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player who plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. Uche was born in Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

 on March 20, 1984. He played Guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

 for Purdue University

Purdue University

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

 after graduating from Naaman Forest High School

Naaman Forest High School

Naaman Forest High School is a public secondary school located in Garland, Texas . Like most Texas high schools, Naaman Forest enrolls students in grades 9-12...

. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 with the 149th Overall pick in the 5th round of the 2007 NFL Draft

2007 NFL Draft

The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...

.

Early life

Nwaneri attended Naaman Forest High School]] in Garland, Texas

Garland, Texas

-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....

.
Nwaneri committed to Purdue University

Purdue University

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

 on July 8, 2003. Nwaneri also had FBS scholarship offers from Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats football

The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...

, and Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies football

The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...

.

2007 season

Nwaneri saw limited action as a rookie during the Jaguars' 2007 playoff run, playing in 9 games with 1 start.

2008 season

Nwaneri was elevated to starter after an injury to starting guard Vince Manuwai

Vince Manuwai

Vincent Keoni Manuwai is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. Originally, he was selected in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the University of Hawaii Warriors.-Early years:Manuwai was born in Honolulu, Hawaii...

. In all, he appeared in 15 games during the 2008 season, starting 15 of them. He allowed 4.5 sacks during the season.

2009 season

Nwaneri and fellow guard Maurice Williams

Maurice Williams (American football)

Maurice Carlos Williams is an American football guard and offensive tackle who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

 competed for the starting guard position opposite the returning Vince Manuwai. Nwaneri won the job; Williams was deactivated for much of the season before being released on December 5, 2009. Nwaneri appeared in all 16 games, starting 13 of them. He was only credited with allowing one-half of a sack. Nwaneri was also not penalized during the 2009 season.

2010 season

He gained notoriety in 2010 when he posted doubts about Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow

Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...

's potential NFL success on his team's website message board.