Obald Niyonkuru holds the LDT · Depth spot in North Dakota State Bison’s defensive tackle room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Obald Niyonkuru is a 5'11", 290-pound defensive tackle from Altoona, IA who prepped at Southeast Polk High School, where he earned 2022 Class 5A second-team all-state honors and recorded 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks in his final season as the Rams won a Class 5A state title with a 12-1 record. He spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Iowa State University, redshirting in 2023 and appearing in no games in 2024 while earning Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition twice. Niyonkuru joined North Dakota State as a transfer and appeared in six games at defensive tackle in 2025, recording three tackles and one fumble recovery against St. Thomas.