Eastern Michigan University’s football program received a commitment from a 3-star linebacker with quite an unusual name – Noah Knigga.
Normally, a recruit of that ranking wouldn’t normally make big waves, Knigga’s unusual last name has already sparked a social media buzz and concerns from broadcasters about mispronouncing it.
The name is pronounced “kuh-nay-guh”, as confirmed by Knigga himself. However, the similarity to an offensive racial slur has led to juvenile jokes online and worries that broadcasters could land in trouble if they flub the pronunciation, even accidentally.
EMU play-by-play announcer Tom Helmer addressed this issue on his TikTok account, stating, “People are joking that his name is going to get a broadcaster fired.” He referenced an NFL Memes post that said “Rest in peace, Eastern Michigan broadcasters” in relation to Knigga’s name.
Helmer vowed to have the best pronunciation skills this season, slightly mispronouncing Knigga’s name himself during the video “kuh-nig-uh.”
The three-star linebacker from Lawrenceburg, Indiana had offers from West Virginia and Arkansas State before verbally committing to EMU. He was a 2023 Class 3A Junior All-State selection, totaling 51 tackles, 11 for loss, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in just 6 games after an early hamstring injury.
In an interview with Robert Griffin III, Knigga discussed the origins and proper enunciation of his surname, likely hoping to make headlines for his play rather than his name’s controversy.
But the unfortunate similarity means jokes will likely follow him throughout his college career at Eastern Michigan.