2022 Gators Safety Target Intrigued by UF's Ball-Hawking Defense

No Fly Zone.

In the 2021 recruiting cycle to this point, the firepower of Florida’s class has come on the defensive side of the football. Specifically, in the secondary.

Picking up commitments from the likes of Corey Collier Jr., Dakota Mitchell, and Donovan McMillon so far at the safety position, the Gators have begun to make up for lackluster safety classes in the past few cycles. Possibly looking to add more talent in the backend before the period comes to an end, Terrion Arnold continues to be another name to watch for UF.

However, with loads of talent set to be flooding Gainesville in the near future, safeties coach Ron English and company have started to look further into the future to solidify the position for many more years to come.

Enter, a consensus four-star safety from Iowa, Xavier Nwankpa. As the No. 7 ranked safety in the nation and the No. 1 ranked player in Iowa, Florida extended an offer to the talented playmaker this past Sunday, joining schools such as in-state programs Iowa and Iowa State, Missouri, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and others.

So very excited and blessed to say I’ve received an offer from THE University of Florida! #GoGators 🐊 pic.twitter.com/ZcMsMD1P23
— Xavier “X” Nwankpa (@xaviernwankpa01) August 17, 2020

Primarily recruited by Florida's Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Keiwan Ratliff, Nwankpa has been able to relate with the path Ratliff took in going to the next level out of high school and relayed some information about the relationship being built between the two and more in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated - AllGators.

“I talked to Coach Ratliff. We were just talking about how he is from Ohio, cause I’m from the midwest too. He went to Florida, and it was just something different, and like that doesn’t usually happen.”

Standing at 6-2, 175 lbs., the four-star prospect exemplifies traits of incredible physicality at the point of attack, superb athleticism, and elite level ball skills—a part of his game he prides himself on—that were all pointed out as strengths by both Ratliff and himself. Nwankpa has recorded six interceptions over the past two seasons.

Following his offer from the University of Florida just a few moments ago, I went to watch some film on @xaviernwankpa01 and let me just say...he will knock your head off!

The guy is as physical as they come playing downhill and is a bruiser on the backend. WOW
— Brandon Carroll (@itsbcarroll) August 17, 2020

However, an aspect of his game he would like to improve on is his leadership. Driven to accomplish his team’s goal of “winning a championship,” Nwankpa emphasized his desire to “work on my leadership, like, I can always get better at helping the people around me.”

As a guy that can be a menace in various zone schemes and press-man coverage, Nwankpa is a hard-hitting headhunter on the back end who prides himself on making plays on the football and will do so for three to four years for the team that acquires his talents.

In terms of Florida specifically, he seems to see them as an intriguing option early on in his recruitment and looks forward to getting to know more about the program as time progresses. “They play in the SEC, and that’s one of the best conferences in football. and last year, I searched up that they tied for sixth in interceptions, which is something I’d want to be a part of.”

Looking at academics, relationships with coaches, and the overall culture of the team as essential requirements for his future school, Florida seems to fall in line with his criteria in the meantime and could look to bring in another blue-chip talent at safety in 2022 if everything falls in line.

Nearing his junior season of high school starting on September 26th, Nwankpa looks to take things slow in his recruitment as offers continue to roll in.

For now, he looks to hopefully visit the University of Florida if in-person visits open up this fall or spring. Nwankpa is “open to anything” right now from any school that “gives an opportunity.”

When his time comes, Nwankpa will have plenty of options to choose from and the direction in which he goes will get a guy who can play down towards the line of scrimmage, match up against any man in coverage, make plays on the ball in the air, and with it in his hands.

Fitting the mold of versatile players in the backend that have had success with the Gators in the past, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the coaching staff to heavily pursue a guy of his caliber no matter his location in the country.

As of this moment, a timetable for his recruitment is still up in the air, but he does say that “ideally, I’d want to commit before my senior season. That’s if everything feels right, but if not, I’ll probably just wait until I feel like that’s the spot I want to be.”