#12

Isaiah Nwokobia

Senior safety for SMU. 2025: 2 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, 80 tackles.

S · SMU · Sr. · #12

6′1″ · 205 lb · Dallas, TX

CFB Index 82 · #35 of 544 safetiesMedium confidenceReturning to SMU for 2026

How he plays

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.

Passes defended: 96th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

interceptions · 2025

7 PBU · 80 tackles · 2 TFL

Best game: 1 INT, 12 tackles, at Wake Forest

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 safety for SMU. 2025: 2 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, 80 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to SMU in 2021.

His career, year by year

Isaiah Nwokobia

S · SMU · Sr · #12

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Isaiah Nwokobia has played for two head coaches in five seasons at SMU. He has been named All-ACC two seasons running, most recently in 2025. The receipt on tape: 12 tackles, 1.5 TFL against Baylor, Week 2, 2025.

Low coverage — composed from the verified record.

positional archetype classification
head-coach lineage
recognition record
game log

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021SMU8-4HC: Jim Leavitt · Balanced

2022SMU7-6HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced, fast tempo

2023SMU11-3HC: Rhett Lashlee · Run-leaning

2024SMU11-3HC: Rhett Lashlee · Run-leaning

2025SMU9-4HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

82All-Conference level #35 of 544?

Medium confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: passes defended (96th percentile). Strength: tackles (95th percentile). Concern: qb hurries (22nd percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Passes defended#85 / 2975 · 96th pct

Tackles#145 / 2975 · 95th pct

Solo tackles#188 / 2975 · 93rd pct

Interceptions#114 / 817 · 75th pct

Forced fumbles#36 / 687 · 47th pct

Tackles for loss#1424 / 2975 · 47th pct

2.0

Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct

0.0

QB hurries#1662 / 2975 · 22nd pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 11 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	8.8	0.4	0.0	1.0
Road6g	6.0	0.0	0.0	0.3

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	8.0	0.3	0.0	1.0
Weeks 8+5g	6.4	0.0	0.0	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Rhett Lashlee

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

Impact starter

Tackle volume for the position among the most productive regulars.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

82 · #35 of 544 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #35 at the position.

2026 outlook

In the mix to repeat All-ACC

Based on 2025: #2 of 25 ACC Ss

How the All-ACC estimate is computed

49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	SMU	80	41	2.0	0.0	7	2	--
2024	SMU	95	51	2.5	0.5	3	3	--
2023	SMU	56	40	4.5	1.0	3	4	--
2022	SMU	10	5	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
2021	SMU	22	17	2.0	1.0	1	2	--
Career		263	154	11.0	2.5	14	11	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2025

W 26–20

vs Miami

10 TOT · 5 SOLO

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 6 at home.

With K. Jennings — 365 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 67.6 · -8 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD · W. McSparron — 43 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 57 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 11 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 42-13vs East Texas A&M	5	3	0.0	—	2
Wk 2	L 45-48vs Baylor	12	7	1.5	—	1	Season-high 12 tackles
Wk 3	W 28-10@ Missouri State	4	3	0.0	1	0
Wk 4	L 24-35@ TCU	10	4	0.0	—	1
Wk 6	W 31-18vs Syracuse	6	5	0.0	—	1
Wk 7	W 34-10vs Stanford	11	4	0.5	—	1
Wk 8	W 35-24@ Clemson	5	4	0.0	—	1
Wk 9	L 12-13@ Wake Forest	12	4	0.0	1	0
Wk 10	W 26-20vs Miami	10	5	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 45-13@ Boston College	2	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 35-38@ California	3	1	0.0	—	0
Total		80	41	2.0	2	7

How he plays

Play style

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.

CFB Index positional classification

Activity vs finishing · season enumeration

What the box score actually says

11 games

80Tackles

41Solo

2TFL

0Sacks

7Pass def.

2INT

80 tackles. 7 passes defended. 2 interceptions. 2 TFL.

Week 12 PD
Week 21 PD
Week 31 INT
Week 41 PD
Week 61 PD
Week 71 PD
Week 81 PD
Week 91 INT

Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.

2026 Outlook

SMU

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Safety · SMU

Returning around him

1 SMU player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -11 net (15 in / 26 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

SMU · Last season: 9-4 (AP #25) · Talent rank #31 · 2026 recruiting class #32

DNA match

Player DNA

Rover

Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Peter Manuma’s 2025 season.

Peter Manuma

80%match

Hawai'i · 2025

All-Mountain West

Beau Brade

Maryland · 2022

78%

Dustin Johnson

Ohio · 2024

NFL Rd 6

78%

Kitan Oladapo

Oregon State · 2023

NFL Rd 5

77%

Bennett Williams

Oregon · 2022

76%

Matches Peter on

Class year

PD rate

TFL rate

Differs from Peter on

Height (higher)

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to JoJo Evans's graduate season at Florida International (2024).

JoJo Evans

80%match

Florida International · 2024

All-Conference USA

Trikweze Bridges

Florida · 2024

NFL Rd 7

79%

Kitan Crawford

Nevada · 2024

All-Mountain WestNFL Rd 7

78%

Malachi Moore

Alabama · 2024

All-SECNFL Rd 4

77%

R.J. Mickens

Clemson · 2024

NFL Rd 6

75%

Matches JoJo on

Class year

TFL rate

Weight

Player DNA

Players who play like Isaiah Nwokobia

Lyrik Rawls

Oklahoma State · 2022

91%

Jake Pope

UNLV · 2026

86%

Devlin Kirklin

New Mexico State · 2022

84%

Kamren Fabiculanan

Washington · 2023

81%

Will Brooks

Tennessee · 2024

80%

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Isaiah Nwokobia

20218 games

202413 games

202511 games

2025 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Impact starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Rover

Players who play like Isaiah Nwokobia