Of Nigerian descent, he played college football at NC State where he was named a unanimous All-American and was awarded the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best blocker in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2021.

Ekwonu grew up in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, North Carolina,[1] and attended Providence Day School, where he excelled in football while playing both offensive and defensive line.

[2][3] A 3-star offensive guard recruit, Ekwonu committed to play college football at NC State over offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia.

[11] Following the end of the 2021 season, Ekwonu announced that he would forgo his remaining college eligibility to enter the 2022 NFL draft, where he was selected in the first round with the sixth overall pick by the Carolina Panthers.

His father was a basketball player from Nigeria, while a twin brother, Osita, plays linebacker for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.