Xavier Nwankpa is easily Iowa’s most exciting freshman after signing with the Hawkeyes as a five-star recruit according to both 247Sports and Rivals. 247Sports and Rivals each had Nwankpa as the nation’s top safety in the 2022 class.
According to Rivals, the Southeast Polk High School standout was the nation’s No. 19 overall player in the 2022 class. Meanwhile, 247Sports ranked the 6-foot-2, 190 pound safety as the country’s No. 25 overall player.
With all of that in mind, it’s easy to understand why Nwankpa has Hawkeye fans in a tizzy over what he might bring to Iowa’s defensive backfield as early as the 2022 season.
In the initial spring depth chart, redshirt senior Kaevon Merriweather and redshirt junior Sebastian Castro were listed as the Hawkeyes’ top two strong safeties. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Quinn Schulte and redshirt freshman Jaxon Rexroth were listed in succession as Iowa’s top two free safeties.
With the five-star billing, though, there are many that envision Nwankpa potentially finding his way onto the football field in 2022. The latest calling for big things from Nwankpa as early as this season or very quickly in his Hawkeye career is SB Nation’s Seth Berry of Maize N Brew.
Nwankpa, an athlete from Des Moines, Iowa, signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes and is the team’s top ranked incoming freshman. In high school, he played as a defensive back with the ability to cover multiple types of wide receivers in a variety of defensive packages. He could be a scary addition to an Iowa defense that essentially carried the team to 10 wins in 2021, whether he contributes immediately or a little down the road. – Berry, SB Nation.
Iowa had the most interceptions of anybody in college football last season with 25. It looks like with Merriweather, Castro, Schulte and Rexroth that Iowa has four safeties it likes coming out of the spring.
Still, it’s obvious that Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was impressed with a pair of freshmen in the Hawkeyes’ defensive backfield coming out of the spring. That pair includes Nwankpa.
“I think we’re going to see a big jump just in terms of his confidence and just being a little bit more decisive with his play when we get back in August. And he’s done some really good things. He flashes some things that are like, you know, you can see the guy that we knew he is. That will show up on special teams, too.
“He’s just a tremendous young guy, great personality and demeanor, really good to work with, good work ethic and good work habits. He’s doing a great job in the classroom as well, so it’s really been great and say the same thing about TJ Hall. They’re both back there together as true freshmen. They both just are really doing a nice job so far,” Ferentz said of Hall and Nwankpa.
Whether Nwankpa’s impact is felt immediately in 2022, it seems that it’s just a matter of time before he’s roaming the Hawkeyes’ defensive backfield and making plays one would expect out of a five-star talent.
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