Maema Njongmeta ready to pass along the lessons he has learned to Wisconsin teammates

MADISON – Entering his fifth season in the Wisconsin football program and expected to start for the second consecutive season, Maema Njongmeta is armed with experience and hindsight.

“The lessons that I have learned and the person I have become,” the redshirt senior inside linebacker said, “it has been a blessing.”

There were times, however, when his journey from a freshman who was on the travel roster in 2019 to experienced starter felt cursed.

Maema Njongmeta's time at UW has been laden with adversity

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Njongmeta, a standout from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois, didn’t play a game as a freshman in 2019 but traveled with the team because the staff wanted him to experience life on the road in the Big Ten.

The hope was that he would be a contributor in 2020.

However, with COVID-19 delaying the start of the 2020 Big Ten season, Njongmeta endured a health scare.

He tested positive for COVID and doctors feared the virus had caused myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

Doctors found Njongmeta had a sack of liquid around the heart and he was eventually cleared to play.

“I happen to have that naturally,” he said.

Nevertheless, Njongmeta played in just one game that season, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. He played in six games in 2021 but opened spring ball in 2022 on the No. 3 defense.

“I think it is a journey that has been a testament to God’s work in my life,” he said. “I mean, just coming in and traveling as a freshman and feeling really good about my career. And then the next year being sidelined for months with injury and feeling really bad about my career.

“The next year being uncertain if I would keep playing football, to last year in spring ball being third string and being super uncertain about football.”

Njongmeta gradually worked his way up the depth chart in 2022 and eventually started in 11 of 13 games. He endured some rough moments early in the season but finished as the team’s leading tackler with 48 solo stops and 95 total stops. His total of 11½ tackles for loss was the No. 2 mark on the team, behind outside linebacker Nick Herbig.

“Having a season like the one that I did,” he said, “I think my journey has been up. It’s been down. I just tried to stay constant through all of that and find things, like my faith, my family.”

Lead by word and deed? Njongmeta is comfortable doing either

Njongmeta is expected to be in the starting lineup again this season, beginning with the Sept. 2 opener vs. visiting Buffalo.

A veteran who is loquacious and personable, Njongmeta is positioned to provide leadership in the locker room as well as on the field, particularly for younger players.

“I think he really is comfortable in that role,” said defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, who also coaches the inside linebackers. “He always has been a team leader. But that role has grown since he had as much success as he had on the field last year.

“He is continuing to improve his football IQ and instincts and experience. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Last year the expectations were…people didn’t really know who he was. Now you have a good year, your name is in the media a little bit and all of a sudden you can sometimes put a lot of pressure on yourself.

“Just work on relaxing and playing and he is doing a good job of that.”

Njongmeta appears comfortable chatting up anyone. During interviews he can playfully deflect any questions about his recent right-thumb injury for several minutes and quickly pivot to an informed discussion of the game he loves.

He is eager to lead in 2023.

“I think there is always power in being able to share your story,” he said. “But one thing I’ve learned is that you come in and there are so many guys who want to help you but sometimes there are things you’ve just got to go through yourself.

“I remember I had guys who told me all these things that I now find myself telling other freshmen. You don’t listen and I don’t think it is a bad thing. I think there is a healthy amount of skepticism you should have when you’re a freshman.

“You can be there for the guys but sometimes you’ve got to let them learn and then have them come back to you.

“And when they come back what do they generally say? Hey man, I should have listened to you.”

Njongmeta smiled after finishing that thought.

“It is maddening,” he said. “I get why my dad is bald, why he ripped his hair out."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin's Maema Njongmeta learns from adversity, becomes leader