Xavier Nwankpa, SAF, Iowa
Size:
Height: 6’2” | Weight: 215 lbs
Accomplishments:
Five-star recruit
“Xavier Nwankpa has the athletic ability to play anywhere in the back end and is a sure tackler who delivers big hits triggering downhill.”
Strengths:
Run support
Athletic
Versatility
Robber underneath
Concerns:
Coverage instincts
Comfort moving backward
Stares down QB
Film Analysis:
Xavier Nwankpa set up his starting role in Iowa's offense with a breakout performance in the 2022 Music City Bowl against Kentucky. In his first start as a freshman, he was all over the field with eight tackles, seven solo, a pass breakup, and an interception he took to the house. In his first season as a starting safety for Iowa, he racked up 42 tackles, 27 solo, two tackles for a loss, two pass breakups, and an interception. He moved around the defense and showed off the athletic ability that made him a five-star recruit. He’ll enter 2024 looking to take another step forward.
The quick-trigger ability to locate the football and attack downhill jumps off Nwankpa’s tape. He’s not only a willing run defender but a good one. He can change direction with the ball-carrier, stack and shed, and wrap up at several angles to avoid missing tackles. He has a nose for the football underneath his safety position.
He lines up in various positions for Phil Parker’s defense, who is widely considered one of the best defensive minds in college football. Nwankpa’s versatility can help unlock other players in the defense, something Iowa has done with numerous defensive recruits. He’s a great athlete with the requisite speed, hip fluidity, and sink to turn, run with receivers, and change direction in coverage. His ideal spot last season was underneath in the robber role, where he can read the quarterback and break on throws or ball-carriers underneath. When he breaks on the football, he attacks the catch point and looks to rip the football out of the receiver's hands. The deep-field speed is there to play more in the back end, but it wasn’t tested deep very often.
Nwankpa’s coverage instincts are still developing as a safety, and he looks more comfortable moving downhill than backward. He’s hesitant when backpedaling and quickly opens his hips with the quarterback's eyes, which makes him susceptible to manipulation. Reading out route concepts is hit or miss with him, but when he’s right, it looks seamless. He waits for the quarterback to make decisions before breaking on routes in the intermediate and deeper parts of the field, which puts him behind, particularly in the red zone. He was exposed in the red zone against Penn State, allowing two touchdowns. More comfortable in zone coverage than man, Nwankpa has trouble anticipating the receiver's movements and gets caught flat-footed at the top of routes.
Nwankpa has the athletic ability, versatility, and speed to play anywhere for Iowa’s defense. Still, his ideal role is a robber/box safety, where he can use his closing speed to make plays on the ball-carrier. If his football IQ grows from his sophomore to junior season, he will be a breakout defensive player in college football.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Daniel Harms
