The highest-rated recruit to ever commit to Iowa, Xavier Nwankpa capped a four-year Hawkeye career with a breakout senior season before signing with the Chiefs.
Xavier Nwankpa was a five-star recruit out of Iowa who became a four-year starter-caliber safety for the Hawkeyes, moving from strong safety to free safety for his standout senior year. He went undrafted in 2026 but signed with Kansas City as a free agent, with a scouting profile built around size, physicality and range.
Path to the league
A five-star recruit out of Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Nwankpa was the highest-rated recruit ever to commit to the Hawkeyes program. He played four seasons at Iowa from 2022 to 2025 before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2026.
Career highlights
Nwankpa appeared in 52 games across his Iowa career with 36 starts, totaling 171 combined tackles and three interceptions, including a pick-six as a true freshman in the Music City Bowl. He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior after shifting from strong safety to free safety.
2025 season recap
In his final season at Iowa, Nwankpa started all 13 games and posted a career-high 76 tackles along with two forced fumbles and an interception, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after a win over Penn State. The breakout campaign made him one of the more notable undrafted free agent signings of the Chiefs' 2026 offseason.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Xavier Nwankpa
- ESPN: Xavier Nwankpa college stats
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Iowa
- Hometown
- Pleasant Hill, IA, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
