The Iowa Hawkeyes are set up for another special year on the defensive side of the football. The last two years have been a run ride led by Jack Campbell, Lukas Van Ness and Cooper DeJean. This year’s group has the chance to be the best yet.
Iowa’s defense is returning a whopping eight starters to a unit that was at or near the top in almost every major defensive statistical category last year. The unit is a year old, a year stronger and has another offseason of Phil Parker teaching them.
Two players who will benefit greatly are at the back end of this defense. Quinn Schulte and Xavier Nwankpa enter their third season playing alongside each other and are ranked as the No. 1 safety unit in the country by On3’s Jesse Simonton.
- Iowa
Junior Xavier Nwankpa and senior Quinn Schulte might be the most valuable safety duo in 2024, as Iowa’s returning starters compliment each other perfectly, and are excellent individually, too.
Nwankpa is an elite cover safety (fourth-best coverage grade, per PFF), while Shulte is a thumper who also graded highly as both a run-defender and cover-guy. The Hawkeyes have the best insurance safety in the country as well, as outstanding nickel Sebastian Castro could slide back to safety in a pinch. — Jesse Simonton, On3
Schulte was fourth on the Hawkeyes in tackles last season with 65 total tackles. He added an interception and pass breakup. Schulte, who could have left, but is returning, is known for an extremely high-level football IQ. He doesn’t need to be in the play every down, but he is part of the reason the Hawkeyes are always in place to make the play elsewhere.
Nwankpa oozes with athleticism and it has been shown in flashes of brilliance. He tallied 27 tackles and an interception last year. The rangy safety should continue to come into his own as he gets more comfortable in Parker’s defense and confident in his own skills.
The Hawkeyes are loaded on defense at all three levels. With one of the best safety units in the entire country, the front seven can play very free and fast knowing they have this group behind them.
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