Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Kingsley Jonathan: Athlete and Advocate
10/29/2019 8:37:00 AM | Football
Editor's note: This story appears in the Nov. 2 edition of the 2019 Syracuse football gameday program. Programs are available for $5 and sold throughout the Dome.
Kingsley Jonathan immigrated from Nigeria in high school, with he and his family believing that the United States would offer the gifted athlete more opportunities.
Living with multiple families in different states after coming to the U.S., Jonathan kept his head down and worked toward a football scholarship, which he eventually earned from Syracuse University. Now, he's excelling on the field for the Orange and the defensive end who was shuffled from family to family is an advocate for his fellow athletes.
Jonathan is one of three Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes who've been selected to represent the league under the Division I autonomy process. Jonathan holds voting privileges on proposed NCAA legislation and will attend the 2020 NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California as a member of the voting delegation alongside Wake Forest's Caroline Kuhn (volleyball) and Clemson's Darron Coley (track & field). The trio has attended various ACC governance meetings in preparation for the convention.
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A member of the Syracuse Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Jonathan is the first Orange student-athlete to serve in the position since the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August 2014 to restructure how schools and conferences govern themselves. The decision paved the way for student-athletes to have a voice – and a vote – at every level of decision-making. A council, established as part of that process, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the division and includes two seats for student-athletes, two for faculty, and four for commissioners.
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"I found out about it through Coach [Roy] Wittke. He introduced me to SAAC and asked me if I wanted to represent the football team," Jonathan said. "After that, they submitted my name as a potential candidate for this position and I was fortunate enough to be chosen to represent the ACC."
This responsibility is not one Jonathan takes lightly. He often makes time to converse with student-athletes from each of the 20 varsity sports at Syracuse to ensure he has an adequate understanding of the challenges that they face in their respective sports.
"For example, soccer has been thinking about changing their season from being just a fall sport to a full-year model," Jonathan said. "It has been really interesting to talk with soccer players and get their perspective on things like that and how it would affect them if the timing of the season is changed or not."
The opportunity for Jonathan to represent his fellow student-athletes comes from the new model granting increased flexibility to schools in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences to change rules for themselves in specific areas within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes the three student-athlete representatives from each conference who vote on proposed rule changes.
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Representing his peers in this process is the latest educational opportunity that Jonathan has been afforded since he arrived at Syracuse ahead of the 2017 football season. An information management and technology major with a 3.7 GPA, he recently completed a summer internship at Syracuse University's IT Service Center. Jonathan has made the Dean's List and the SU Athletic Director's Honor Roll in each of his first four semesters on campus. He's also a two-time ACC Honor Roll selection.
On the field, Jonathan's role has increased each year and he's proven himself as one of the team's most effective pass rushers. In 29 career games, the junior has 40 tackles (21 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. In the past two seasons, he has accumulated 6.5 sacks, including five in 2018, which ranked third on the team.
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Last season, Jonathan played one of his best games on the biggest stage. He started the 2018 Camping World Bowl versus West Virginia and collected a career-high four tackles, including one for a loss. His performance helped the Syracuse defense hold the Mountaineers to six second-half points, as the Orange rallied to win the 16th bowl game in program history.
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Balancing his daily football responsibilities with his role as a student-athlete representative has been a rewarding one for Jonathan.
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"It has been very, very enlightening," Jonathan said. "I've been trying to put myself in other peoples' shoes and get the point of view from athletes of different sports here before I make any decisions that could affect them. It's been very informative to see how other people think about things outside of the football perspective."
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
Kingsley Jonathan immigrated from Nigeria in high school, with he and his family believing that the United States would offer the gifted athlete more opportunities.
Living with multiple families in different states after coming to the U.S., Jonathan kept his head down and worked toward a football scholarship, which he eventually earned from Syracuse University. Now, he's excelling on the field for the Orange and the defensive end who was shuffled from family to family is an advocate for his fellow athletes.
Jonathan is one of three Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes who've been selected to represent the league under the Division I autonomy process. Jonathan holds voting privileges on proposed NCAA legislation and will attend the 2020 NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California as a member of the voting delegation alongside Wake Forest's Caroline Kuhn (volleyball) and Clemson's Darron Coley (track & field). The trio has attended various ACC governance meetings in preparation for the convention.
Â
A member of the Syracuse Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Jonathan is the first Orange student-athlete to serve in the position since the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August 2014 to restructure how schools and conferences govern themselves. The decision paved the way for student-athletes to have a voice – and a vote – at every level of decision-making. A council, established as part of that process, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the division and includes two seats for student-athletes, two for faculty, and four for commissioners.
Â
"I found out about it through Coach [Roy] Wittke. He introduced me to SAAC and asked me if I wanted to represent the football team," Jonathan said. "After that, they submitted my name as a potential candidate for this position and I was fortunate enough to be chosen to represent the ACC."
This responsibility is not one Jonathan takes lightly. He often makes time to converse with student-athletes from each of the 20 varsity sports at Syracuse to ensure he has an adequate understanding of the challenges that they face in their respective sports.
"For example, soccer has been thinking about changing their season from being just a fall sport to a full-year model," Jonathan said. "It has been really interesting to talk with soccer players and get their perspective on things like that and how it would affect them if the timing of the season is changed or not."
The opportunity for Jonathan to represent his fellow student-athletes comes from the new model granting increased flexibility to schools in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences to change rules for themselves in specific areas within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes the three student-athlete representatives from each conference who vote on proposed rule changes.
Â
Representing his peers in this process is the latest educational opportunity that Jonathan has been afforded since he arrived at Syracuse ahead of the 2017 football season. An information management and technology major with a 3.7 GPA, he recently completed a summer internship at Syracuse University's IT Service Center. Jonathan has made the Dean's List and the SU Athletic Director's Honor Roll in each of his first four semesters on campus. He's also a two-time ACC Honor Roll selection.
On the field, Jonathan's role has increased each year and he's proven himself as one of the team's most effective pass rushers. In 29 career games, the junior has 40 tackles (21 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. In the past two seasons, he has accumulated 6.5 sacks, including five in 2018, which ranked third on the team.
Â
Last season, Jonathan played one of his best games on the biggest stage. He started the 2018 Camping World Bowl versus West Virginia and collected a career-high four tackles, including one for a loss. His performance helped the Syracuse defense hold the Mountaineers to six second-half points, as the Orange rallied to win the 16th bowl game in program history.
Â
Balancing his daily football responsibilities with his role as a student-athlete representative has been a rewarding one for Jonathan.
Â
"It has been very, very enlightening," Jonathan said. "I've been trying to put myself in other peoples' shoes and get the point of view from athletes of different sports here before I make any decisions that could affect them. It's been very informative to see how other people think about things outside of the football perspective."
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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