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After the cornerbacks got things underway Friday at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, the safeties served as the second group of defensive backs. They

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When the NFL Combine takes place beginning later this month in Indianapolis, the Iowa football team will be well represented at the annual event.

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There was plenty of pressure on the Iowa defensive backfield in the Reliaquest as they faced the high scoring Vanderbilt offense led by the bombing

Xavier Nwankpa(2)

Iowa defensive backs celebrate bowl victory

The Iowa defense may be facing it's biggest stress test on December 31st when the Hawkeyes tangle with Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl. That stress

Xavier Nwankpa(7)

Iowa defense gets ready for Pavia

There were several plays, particularly in the second half, where Xavier Nwankpa felt like he and his teammates on the Iowa defense were playing

Xavier Nwankpa(1)

Xavier Nwankpa talks Iowa defense

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Football

Xavier Nwankpa credits his mother for helping him develop an ultra-competitive spirit that has driven him to be one of the best high school football players in the country. Whether it was a game of "HORSE" on their driveway or a one-on-one hockey match, Nwankpa’s mother, Amy Kelce, didn’t let her son win. Nwankpa said he had to earn it. "He would come back with a vengeance on mom," Kelce told the Des Moines Register. "Even before he could walk, he was trying to run. He is a perfectionist." Growing up, Nwankpa was a standout in Southeast Polk youth baseball, basketball, football and track programs. Southeast Polk football coach Brad Zelenovich said he was so aware of Nwankpa’s talent that he made him manager of the football team in seventh grade, so he’d be used to the program. Kelce played college softball at William Penn. Frank Nwankpa, Xavier’s father, still holds seven track and field records at Iowa State. Nwankpa plans on majoring in kinesiology in college.

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