After starting at strong safety the last two years for Iowa, Xavier Nwankpa is moving a few yards over. The former five-star recruit is flipping from strong safety to free safety, a position that fits him more naturally.
"I think he's more comfortable there at free safety," defensive coordinator Phil Parker said at Iowa's coordinator availability on Wednesday of last week. "With (Zach) Lutmer and Koen (Entringer) being on the other side, I think it was just a better fit. I think he's happy there, and we have seen real big improvement with him the last three weeks. So hopefully, we get him healthy and get ready to go for the summertime."
Nwankpa, who hadn't participated in the last week of spring practice to recuperate and get healthy, added that his prior experience at the position has helped with the transition.
"I feel confident in my abilities over there to make plays," Nwankpa said following Iowa's open spring practice. "I came in here out of high school playing that position, so I have a little background -- knowing little things, some of the ins and outs."
In making the move, Nwankpa will replace Quinn Schulte, a three-year starter at the position. The pair shared the backend of Iowa's defense the last two seasons and built some significant rapport with one another. Schulte's guidance has further aided Nwankpa's transition.
"It's eye discipline," Nwankpa said. "It's a little bit of a different position, so there are different keys and things you've got to factor in. Learning from Quinn has been a blessing."
With his position change, he'll share the field more with Entringer and Lutmer, who are each expected to play some time at the strong safety and cash positions.
"It's been good," Nwankpa said. "We have a good connection. When we're out there, we're all confident and communicating. We're just flying around, making plays and having a bunch of fun out there."
"[Xavier] has just made a great transition," Entringer said earlier this spring. "It's cool that we're flip flopping positions -- it shows our versatility."
The trio isn't quite as experienced as the previous mixture of Nwankpa, Schulte and Sebastian Castro, but they make up for it in other ways.
"We're all super athletic back there," Nwankpa added. "We'll be able to do a bunch of different things. It's not as experienced as we've been in the past, but with that athleticism, I feel like we'll be able to turn it up a notch."
