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Joseph Zucker is the featured Columnist IV for the Iowa Hawkeyes Football.
Andrew Ivins is the photographer.
Nwankpa, a safety, committed to Iowa on Wednesday.
The Iowa native is 45th in the country and fifth in the country. He's the best player in his state.
Chris Singletary had high praise for Nwankpa, comparing him to two-time All-ACC and 2018 All-Pro safety.
The burst and closing speed that he has makes for a player that displays great range whether it is getting off the ground in 2 deep or in the deep third to make a play. He is a game-changer because of his ability to read, react and close on plays. His tackling and physicalness is top-notch, he strikes the ball-carrier along with doing a good job wrapping. Makes plays on all three levels, does a good job when attacking their edge and running through blockers, and making plays on the quarterback.
The safety position has been changing for a number of years, and simply identifying a defender as a safety does not tell the whole story.
Nwankpa has the frame to guard wide receivers or tight ends in pass coverage or move closer to the line of scrimmage at 190 pounds.
Codygoodwin replied toCody Goodwin.
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Dowling puts together a great drive and gets to the Sep 13. On 3rd-and-7, English goes to the end zone, but Nwankpa intercepts it. It was a big time. 6:25 left, still 7-1, Sep.
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#iahsfb
Brad Zelenovich, Nwankpa's coach at Southeast Polk High School, told Kevin Sinclair how the rangy defensive back was ready to join the squad as a freshman.
Zelenovich said it was hard to be ready to play at that level as a 14-year-old. He's never left after we brought him up in Week 3 or Week 4 of his freshman year.
As a true freshman, James had 4.5 sacks and was Florida State's second-leading tackler. If Nwankpa can make that kind of impact right away, the Hawkeyes would be thrilled.
Nwankpa will have a gradual transition into Iowa's defense. He could be used situationally early on.
He has all of the tools to become a defensive star who requires constant attention from opposing teams.
The Hawkeyes were always a logical landing spot for Nwankpa because he is from Altoona, which is a few hours away from Iowa City.
The program has been a consistent winner under head coach Kirk Ferentz and has built its success on a defense. Nwankpa should be able to showcase his skills by applying for Iowa.
