Iowa Hawkeyes with two in 247Sports’ top 25 incoming Big Ten freshmen

The 2022 recruiting class for the Iowa Hawkeyes is packing some serious punch. The class that just arrived on campus is loaded with talent and features two individuals that could become household names quickly.

Those two are Xavier Nwankpa and Aaron Graves. Nwankpa is a consensus five-star recruit that will come in at defensive back and compete for reps right away. Graves is a consensus four-star recruit fresh off of being named MaxPreps National Athlete of the year.

The two of them have been placed in 247Sports’ top 50 Big Ten incoming freshmen list. The duo is not just in the top 50, but both crack the top 25. Nwankpa is listed at No. 9 and Graves at No. 23.

Nwankpa made a big splash in Iowa City when he committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Joining an experienced and talented secondary is something that can only help the freshman grow quickly. Joining the team early, Nwankpa began practicing with Iowa this past spring.

His time with the team showed during spring practices and was noticed during the open practice to cap off the spring. It has been noticed by fellow defensive back, Riley Moss, who spoke highly of Nwankpa’s physical attributes and how important the extra practices will be.

Riley Moss talks about true freshmen defensive backs Xavier Nwankpa and TJ hall, both of whom enrolled in January. pic.twitter.com/9s8ocVLrW8

— Pat Harty (@PatHarty) April 5, 2022

Graves is the second-highest rated member of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2022 recruiting class and comes in to join a defensive line that is always a stout unit of Phil Parker’s defense. Graves will have the chance to compete for time early and continue his development into a big contributor on defense.

Nwankpa and Graves are part of a 2022 signing class that has officially joined the Hawkeyes and will get their summer camp and training underway the second they get their dorm rooms set up.

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