Xavier Nwankpa

Xavier Nwankpa (born December 8, 2003) is an American football safety for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

High school career
Nwankpa attended Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. During his high school career he had 16 interceptions. He was selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl. A five-star recruit, Nwankpa committed to the University of Iowa to play college football. He was the highest rated recruit to ever commit to Iowa.

College career
Nwankpa played in all 13 games his true freshman year at Iowa in 2022 and made his first career start in the 2022 Music City Bowl, where he had an interception returned for a touchdown. He finished the season with 12 tackles. He returned to Iowa as a starter his sophomore year in 2023.