A five-year SMU starter with 11 career interceptions, Isaiah Nwokobia signed with Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent after a first-team all-conference senior season.
Isaiah Nwokobia spent five seasons at SMU, developing into one of the most productive ball-hawking safeties in the American Athletic Conference and, later, the ACC. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft but signed with the Bengals, who see a nickel-capable safety with a track record of takeaways.
Path to the league
A three-star recruit at Skyline High School in Dallas who also drew interest from Arizona, Baylor and Texas, Nwokobia signed with SMU and played there from 2021 through 2025. He flashed early, picking off a pass and recording a sack in a week 2 win over North Texas as a true freshman in 2021.
Career highlights
Nwokobia finished his college career with 11 interceptions and 25 passes defensed. He was named MVP of the American Athletic Conference championship game in 2023 after intercepting a pass against Tulane, and he earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2024 after starting all 14 games with 100 tackles and three interceptions.
2025 season recap
Rather than enter the 2025 NFL Draft, Nwokobia returned to SMU for a fifth season in 2025 to close out his college career. He went undrafted in 2026 and signed with Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent, entering training camp in a competition for a roster spot at safety.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Isaiah Nwokobia
- Bengals.com: Isaiah Nwokobia
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- practiceSquad
- College
- SMU
- Hometown
- Dallas, TX, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- practice-squad
