He played college football at Southern Utah and Washington State.

[2] Nkanu first played college football for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds from 2019 to 2022.

The 2020 season was moved to spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Nkanu appeared in two games.

He played in 12 games, starting eight, during his final season at Souhthern Utah in 2022, earning first team All-Western Athletic Conference honors.

[3] Nkanu transferred to play for the Washington State Cougars in 2023, and appeared in four games that year.