Cooper DeJean is up for another one of the nation’s most coveted defensive awards. The 6-foot-1, 207 pound defensive back was named a Jim Thorpe Award finalist.
Presented annually to the nation’s top defensive back, DeJean joins Air Force senior safety Trey Taylor and Georgia sophomore safety Malaki Starks as one of three finalists for the award.
DeJean was lost for the season ahead of the Hawkeyes’ final two regular season games versus Illinois and at Nebraska, but he still finishes his 2023 season with a pair of interceptions, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and 41 tackles.
DeJean allowed only 22 receptions for 209 yards, including just one grab greater than 15 yards all season.
COOOOP ‼️@cdejean23 is 1 of 3 finalists for the @jimthorpeaward.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/MSgCGw1czX
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 28, 2023
In his career, DeJean has registered 120 tackles, 20 passes defensed, seven interceptions, and five tackles for loss. The Odebolt, Iowa, native returned three interceptions for touchdowns in 2022.
In addition to his work in the defensive backfield, DeJean is electric in the return game as well. He returned 21 punts for 241 yards and an 11.5 yards per punt return average.
DeJean’s 70-yard punt return touchdown was the difference for Iowa late in the Michigan State game and it looked like he had another punt return score late against Minnesota before the infamous invalid fair catch ruling.
DeJean was also named the Big Ten’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year and Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year.
DeJean is the sixth Hawkeye to be named Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year, joining Micah Hyde (2012), Desmond King (2015), Josh Jackson (2016), Amani Hooker (2017) and Riley Moss (2021).
The Odebolt, Iowa, native also joins Ihmir Smith-Marsette (2018) and Charlie Jones (2021) as Hawkeyes to win Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year.
DeJean was also a first-team All-Big Ten defensive and return specialist selection by the league’s coaches and media.
Iowa’s Desmond King won the Thorpe Award in 2015 and was a semifinalist the following season. Josh Jackson was a finalist for the award in 2017, while Riley Moss was a semifinalist in 2021.
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