Hawkeyes’ Cooper DeJean ‘ready for the challenge’ in Year 3
By Emily Bell
What does Cooper DeJean need to do in 2023? Well, doing whatever he did last year for Iowa wouldn’t be a bad start. A conference-high three interceptions returned for touchdowns with five total interceptions. But a step forward in DeJean’s eyes revolves around what he’s doing off the field.
“I think just helping the younger guys in practice,” DeJean said. “Being more of a vocal leader out on the field and also leading by example.”
The Hawkeyes are losing all-conference players in their secondary like Riley Moss and Kaevon Merriweather. The unit — on paper — is a lot younger. Jermari Harris returns for his junior year, but behind DeJean and Harris are sophomore T.J. Hall and freshman Deshaun Lee. Lee’s never played a snap. Hall played as a sophomore, but mostly on special teams.
Cooper said the biggest takeaway from his breakout 2022 season was the amount of reps he was able to get at cornerback. And those reps and his versatility allow him to be a teacher of the game. He’s played nearly every position in the secondary, and while he’s found his home at corner, he can use his experience as a point of helping his younger teammates.
“You know what’s going through those guys’ heads when they’re back there and you’re playing corner,” DeJean said. “I think it helps out a lot. I think it’ll make our defense that much better. We’ve still got a lot of young guys to bring along and a lot to work on yet.”
Jermari Harris is set to play across from DeJean this season, but he got a front row seat to his exciting playmaking ability last season.
“It’s fun,” Harris said was a smile on his face. “It’s fun seeing the plays that he makes. I got to see it with Riley (Moss), I got to see it with Dane (Belton). It’s fun seeing that work come to life.”
Head coach Kirk Ferentz wants to keep DeJean on defense, no matter how much fans want to see him line up on offense. But what his sophomore campaign can be is a beacon of hope for the younger members of the secondary.
“He played more as the year went on, kept getting more and more comfortable,” Ferentz said. “Those are the things that have to happen for us. Cooper is a great example of that. Look at him now, you wonder why he didn’t start all 12 games a year ago, but he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t there yet. But he got there.”
He sure did. Cooper won the MVP of the Music City Bowl, made first team All-Big Ten. He’s no longer the new kid on the block — he’s the top dog.
“I’m looking forward to it,” DeJean told me. “Just to help these younger guys, and teach them the things that I’ve learned. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
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