Xavier Nwankpa named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Xavier Nwankpa played perhaps the most complete game of his Iowa career on Saturday. For that he was rewarded with being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
The senior safety had a season high 10 tackles (including 2.5 for loss), a forced fumble, and an interception in the first half that he returned 28 yards to the one yard line to set up an Iowa touchdown. The interception was his first since 2023.
According to Pro Football Focus, Nwankpa earned an 85.7 grade for his performance, which was the highest of any Iowa player against the Nittany Lions.
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Nwankpa was also involved in Penn State’s final offensive play. With Iowa leading 25-24 and 1:20 on the game clock, the Nittany Lions had fourth-and-4 at midfield. Nwankpa came on a delayed blitz — flushing the quarterback from the pocket toward other Hawkeye defenders — forcing an incomplete pass to secure the victory.
Nwankpa is the first Hawkeye defender to earn Big Ten weekly honors since Aaron Graves a year ago on Oct. 14, 2024.
