South Carolina’s legendary basketball coach Dawn Staley would, on the surface, appear to have no obvious rooting interest in this season’s Super Bowl matchup.
A native of Philadelphia, it would be easy to consider Staley a likely neutral spectator of a clash between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
But Staley does have a connection to Super Bowl 60, and she made clear which team she is supporting during the Gamecocks’ blowout victory over the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday.
Who is Dawn Staley Rooting for in the Super Bowl?
Staley declared her rooting interest Sunday, arriving for South Carolina’s matchup with its SEC rival wearing a Seattle Seahawks Nick Emmanwori jersey.
It was a show of support for a former member of the Gamecocks. Defensive back Emmanwori entered the NFL this season following a standout 2024 campaign with South Carolina, during which he was named first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC.
Dawn Staley rockin a Seahawks Nick Emmanwori jersey 😤
Seattle has the support of a few #Gamecocks out here today @abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/Y4LV34Dbef
— Noah Chast (@NoahChastTV) February 8, 2026
Emmanwori was drafted in the second round last year by the Seahawks, a selection that has proven inspired as he has played a crucial role in Seattle’s run to the Super Bowl.
He appeared in 14 regular-season games, starting 11, as Seattle secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Emmanwori finished with 81 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 11 pass breakups, and an interception. In his first two playoff games, he registered eight tackles and four pass breakups.
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Those numbers underscore Emmanwori’s ability to make an impact at all three levels of a Seattle defense that ranked third in PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric this season.
At 6’3″ and 220 pounds, Emmanwori’s versatility — playing in the box and excelling in coverage from the slot — has allowed the Seahawks to remain in their nickel package regardless of offensive personnel.
His value in that regard is why there was concern when Emmanwori sustained an ankle injury in practice this week.
But the injury was not serious enough to keep him from playing in the biggest game of his career, with Emmanwori active after being cleared.
And, as Staley showed with her attire, he will have plenty of support back in Columbia, where a Seahawks victory would be celebrated almost as much as it would be in the Pacific Northwest
