Ngata was born on January 9, 2001, in Reno, Nevada.[1] He is of Cameroonian descent, with both his parents having been born there before moving to the United States.[2] Both of his brothers also played football.[3] He attended Folsom High School in California and was a highly recruited wide receiver, being ranked a five-star recruit by Rivals.com.[4] He had a career total of 188 receptions for 3,682 yards and 55 touchdowns, helping lead his team to the state championship in consecutive years while being given area player of the year honors.[5][6] Ngata was selected to the All-American Bowl and was ranked by Rivals.com as the 21st-best player nationally, the fifth-best wide receiver and the fourth-best player in the state.[5][7] Out of numerous offers to play college football, he committed to the Clemson Tigers, being the first signee at the school from California since 1991.[8][9][10]
College career
As a true freshman at Clemson in 2019, Ngata played every game and helped them reach the national championship while recording 17 catches for 240 yards and three scores.[2][11] He was named a starter in 2020 but became limited after suffering an injury in week two, finishing the season with just three starts in seven games and seven receptions for 83 yards with no touchdowns.[12] He greatly improved as a junior in 2021, posting 23 receptions for 438 yards with one score despite playing in only eight games, averaging 19.0 yards per reception.[11] He had two games that season with over 100 receiving yards.[11] After having battled injuries in prior years, Ngata stayed healthy for the full 2022 season, starting all 14 games while having career highs with 41 receptions for 526 yards and two touchdowns, topped by an eight-catch 84-yard performance in the Orange Bowl to close out his college career.[13] He was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and, despite having one year of eligibility left, opted to declare for the NFL draft rather than return for another season.[14][15] He finished his stint at Clemson with 88 catches for 1,287 yards and six touchdowns in 39 games played.[11]
