Tag: Iowa Football

Cooper DeJean among top 15 players on Mel Kiper’s final 2024 NFL draft Big Board

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. shared his final Big Board ranking for Iowa’s Cooper DeJean ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

Is Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean a cornerback in the NFL? Is he better suited at safety? Who really knows honestly. What we do know, just get him on the field because he’s a top-tier player.

After a successful stint at the University of Iowa where he established himself as one of the best defensive players in the nation, Cooper DeJean is off to conquer the next level.

That starts with finding his destination this Thursday night in the 2024 NFL draft. DeJean is a projected first round pick, seen by many analysts as a candidate to go as high as the mid-teens. He’s nearly unanimously viewed as one of the 32 best players in this class, and that’s without a clearly defined position at the professional level. That’s how good DeJean is.

DeJean was featured as the 14th-ranked player in ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.’s final 2024 NFL draft Big Board rankings.

Iowa’s defense produced two first-round picks (Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell) and a third-rounder (Riley Moss) in the 2023 draft, and yet it was DeJean who kept catching my eye when I went back through the 2022 film. He had five interceptions, including three that he returned for touchdowns. But it wasn’t just the big plays — I was impressed with his technique on a snap-to-snap basis. He played in the slot and out wide, showing off tremendous speed to stick to receivers. He’s just silky as a cover man.

DeJean has the physical tools to be the top corner in this class, but unfortunately, his 2023 season ended early because of a broken leg he suffered in practice in mid-November. He finished with two picks. – Kiper, ESPN.

DeJean should learn his NFL fate on Thursday night. It’s a fun night as dreams turn into reality for the Odebolt, Iowa, native.

The 2024 NFL draft takes place from Detroit’s Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Fans can tune in on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT as the draft gets underway from the Motor City.

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Whistle Sports spotlights Cooper DeJean as one of the NFL Draft’s most unique prospects ever

Iowa has seen Cooper DeJean be a versatile game changer. Whistle Sports spotlights DeJean as one of the NFL Draft’s most versatile players.

Cooper DeJean has long been viewed as a versatile player that a team can use in many facets on defense and special teams. The Iowa Hawkeyes saw DeJean take away opponents’ best receivers as a cornerback and hurt teams with his electrifying punt return ability.

His versatility paired with his film have him holding steady among NFL mock drafts as a first round draft pick. Hearing his name called will be the next goal of his to cross of a list that has seen many successes already.

It hasn’t been easy for Cooper DeJean, though. He broke his leg last season and saw his season cut short. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it as he had to get ready for the NFL Draft.

Now that he is healthy and put on a stunning pro day for NFL teams, DeJean is ready to find his new home and be the next first round draft pick to come from the Iowa Hawkeyes. His journey recovering from the leg injury to final NFL preparations has been chronicled by Whistle Sports and sheds some light on who Cooper DeJean is as a person.

“I’ve probably watched the draft every single year since I could watch TV and it’ll definitely be a dream true just to have my family there and close friends who have helped me throughout this process, throughout my whole life, and get to this point,” DeJean said about what this means for him.

“Coming from a small town, this doesn’t happen often, ya know, where you see a person in this position. So I take a lot of pride in that just trying to inspire the kids from my area to show them if you put the work in daily that something like this is possible no matter where you’re from,” DeJean pridefully added.

The Iowa native has certainly captured the hearts of Hawkeyes fans and youth around the state. His play in the black and yellow was among some of the best to ever do it for Iowa.

“My dream is just to play at the highest level and be one of the best to do it.”

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Iowa’s Cooper DeJean confident in taking Caitlin Clark one-on-one ahead of NFL Draft

Cooper DeJean weighed in on NFL teams asking if he could take Caitlin Clark one-one-one. The Iowa star lacked no confidence in his response.

Cooper DeJean does not lack confidence. But, why should he? The Iowa Hawkeyes’ star defensive back is slated to go in the first round of the NFL Draft and is one of the best defensive backs to ever wear the tigerhawk helmet.

He happened to be at Iowa the same time as another all-time great, Caitlin Clark. She is the most recent Iowa Hawkeye to be drafted as she went No. 1 in the WNBA Draft recently. Despite being the all-time NCAA scoring leader, DeJean thinks he could take her one-on-one on the basketball court.

DeJean met with CBS Sports to talk about his draft process and he let them know that during the interview process teams asked if he could beat her on the basketball court.

“I said that I think I could win,” DeJean said Tuesday in an interview with CBS Sports.

DeJean’s answer caught me off guard, and he could tell.

“You don’t think I can win?” he asked, which I responded by reminding him that Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 overall draft pick, is widely considered to be the greatest women’s basketball player ever. In DeJean’s defense, he does have a hoops background. In high school, he was a three-time letter winner at point guard.

“She’d definitely score on me, for sure, but I think I could pull it off,” said DeJean, who added that Clark’s shooting prowess would be his biggest challenge. “It would be close, though. … She can shoot from anywhere, I think.” – Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports

Cooper DeJean is no slouch on the court. Everyone knows his collegiate All-American status on the gridiron, but in high school, he could light it up on the court. DeJean scored 1,832 points during his high school basketball career and is the state’s all-time steals leader, which is fitting for his ability to create turnovers in football.

Next up for Cooper DeJean is the opportunity to hear his name called in the NFL Draft and become the next Hawkeye to continue to NFL pipeline. While we can hope that the Clark vs. DeJean matchup happens one day, we may have to wait as each are getting the professional careers underway.

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Iowa TE Cael Vanderbush enters NCAA transfer portal

Hawkeye tight end Cael Vanderbush has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The Iowa Hawkeyes saw another entrant into the NCAA transfer portal.

Iowa tight end Cael Vanderbush is the latest name to enter the transfer portal out of Iowa City.

Per a report from Hawkeye Insider‘s David Eickholt, Vanderbush will utilize his three remaining seasons of eligibility elsewhere.

The 6-foot-4, 225 pound tight end did not see any game action with the Hawkeyes in either of the past two seasons. Vanderbush redshirted during the 2022 season.

The Plainfield, Ind., native chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Air Force, Utah and Western Michigan.

Vanderbush arrived in Iowa City as a four-star signee according to On3. The service regarded Vanderbush as the No. 18 tight end nationally and as the No. 9 player from Indiana.

247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all ranked Vanderbush as a three-star signee. ESPN listed Vanderbush as the No. 21 tight end and as the No. 15 player from Indiana.

Meanwhile, 247Sports ranked Vanderbush as the No. 29 tight end and as the No. 15 player from Indiana and Rivals ranked Vanderbush as the No. 37 tight end and as the No. 14 player from Indiana.

After Vanderbush’s departure, Iowa has the following tight ends on its roster: freshman Gavin Hoffman, redshirt freshmen Jalyn Thompson and Grant Leeper, sophomores Zach Ortwerth and Kyson Van Vugt, juniors Andrew Lentsch, Johnny Pascuzzi and Addison Ostrenga and graduate senior Hayden Large. Freshman Michael Burt will join the Hawkeyes out of Creighton Preparatory School this summer.

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Could Iowa target Northwestern transfer QB Brendan Sullivan?

Could Iowa football look to former Northwestern signal-caller Brendan Sullivan as a transfer portal target?

Could the Iowa Hawkeyes be in the market for a new quarterback? Just days after Iowa hosted their annual spring practice, quarterback Deacon Hill entered the transfer portal.

Last year, the former Wisconsin Badger was forced to step in after an injury ended the season of fellow transfer starter Cade McNamara.

Now, Deacon Hill is back in the transfer portal searching for his next destination. While Hill certainly wasn’t spectacular to say the least last season as the starter, his departure definitely harms the depth Iowa has at the position.

That’s three passers who have now left for greener pastures this offseason, Joe Labas committing to Central Michigan earlier this year. You can’t forget former starter Spencer Petras opting to finish his collegiate career at Utah State after sticking around the Iowa program last year helping the team from the sidelines

Add in the fact that Cade McNamara still looks severely impacted by his knee injury, something he may never truly bounce back from, and the quarterback position is really worrying for the Hawkeyes. They simply do not have many on the roster who can throw the football.

This leads back to the portal, a place many fans and analysts believe Iowa should be searching for a quarterback. While it’s hard to believe that they are going to go star searching in the portal—it’s not Kirk Ferentz’s M.O. and it seems that they’re willing to live and die on the Cade McNamara sword—maybe they can find some competent competition.

Coincidentally, just as Deacon Hill arrived in the transfer portal, Northwestern quarterback Brendan Sullivan entered his name as well. That one comes as a bit more of a shock, Sullivan seen by many as the day one starter for the Wildcats this year. Who knows the reason why he hit the portal, but could the Davison, Mich., product be on his way to Iowa?

An interesting thing to note is that when Sullivan was coming out of high school, he did receive an offer from the then-Tim Lester coached Western Michigan Broncos. With Lester now calling the plays for the Hawkeyes, and Sullivan possessing two years of eligibility, could we see Brendan Sullivan in black and gold in 2024?

The 6-foot-3, 225 pound quarterback has appeared in 13 games over the past two seasons, including eight starts. Sullivan completed 134-of-195 passes for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he has also rushed for 257 yards and three scores over the past two seasons.

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Iowa Hawkeyes QB Deacon Hill entering NCAA transfer portal

Iowa Hawkeyes QB Deacon Hill has announced he is entering the NCAA transfer portal after playing last season. He was the backup this spring.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have another departure to the NCAA transfer portal. Quarterback Deacon Hill has announced that after spending one year at Iowa, he is entering the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.

Deacon Hill, who spent one year with the Wisconsin Badgers, joined Iowa before the 2023 season. He was thrust into action following a Cade McNamara torn ACL. Hill started the final nine games for Iowa. He had a 6-3 record as a starter.

“Iowa, you have given me one of the best years of my life. I have built some of the most important relationships in my life and I am eternally grateful for that. This program has taught me so much about life and given me experiences that I will carry on for a lifetime. I am so thankful to have been able to learn from Coach Ferentz, Brian, Coach Bud, and the entire coaching staff,” Hill said in his personal statement.

Hill was playing the role of a game manager for Iowa in a tough situation with an offense that was already anemic. He was 122-251 (48.6% completion), for 1,152 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in his action.

Hill, the backup QB all spring, now leaves the Hawkeyes with questions. Cade McNamara is listed as the starter but was looking a ways away from being in game shape. That leaves Marco Lainez as the new backup with Tommy Poholsky as the third string.

This move may force the Hawkeyes’ hand to look at the transfer portal this spring for quarterback help, be it someone to push this room and become the starter or a backup that has experience to provide.

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Hawkeye Pipeline: Cooper DeJean joins Jack Campbell and Sam LaPorta in NFL mock draft

Could Cooper DeJean be another Iowa product headed to the Motor City? A recent mock calls for a reunion with two former Iowa Hawkeyes.

There is something in the water with the Iowa Hawkeyes and the NFL Draft. A growing trend is popping up and that is the pipeline of the Hawkeyes to certain teams in the NFL.

Teams are drafting Hawkeyes and often doing so in multiples with success usually following pretty soon thereafter. The Detroit Lions did this last year. They took Jack Campbell in the first round and snagged Sam LaPorta in the second round.

Campbell gave the Lions a steadying presence at linebacker with 95 total tackles and two sacks. LaPorta thrust himself into the upper echelon of tight ends right away hauling in 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

CBS Sports recent mock draft thinks that the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell may go back to the well again. They have mocked Cooper DeJean to the Detroit Lions with the No. 29 pick in the first round of next week’s draft.

Round 1 – Pick 29 – Detroit Lions: Cooper DeJean, Iowa

More teams have DeJean as a safety/nickel than cornerback/nickel. For Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, DeJean can play in a number of different spots. – Jonathan Jones, CBS Sports

Could DeJean slide all the way to No. 29? That seems unlikely but weirder things have happened in the NFL Draft. Should he hit that point, the Lions could bolster their secondary and, with a move to safety, instantly upgrade their safety duo to one of the best in the league.

Cooper DeJean would be slotted alongside fellow Big Ten star, Kerby Joseph manning the back end of the Lions’ defense giving them two stars at safety. Joseph had four interceptions last season which would pair ideally next to DeJean’s ball-hawking ability.

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ESPN tabs Iowa Hawkeye as 2024 NFL draft sleeper

ESPN’s Louis Riddick believes Erick All could be the next great tight end to come out of Iowa.

The 2024 NFL draft is getting oh so close.

All 32 NFL franchises will descend upon Detroit’s Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza to alter the trajectories of their respective futures. Meanwhile, dreams will turn into reality for a number of high-profile draft eligible players.

Several Hawkeyes are expecting to hear their names called in the 2024 NFL draft. Former Iowa defensive back and return specialist Cooper DeJean has been a trendy first-round selection in the various 2024 NFL mock drafts for some time.

In CBS Sports’ latest mock draft from Jared Dubin, DeJean is projected as the No. 15 selection overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the first round.

DeJean won’t be alone in hearing his name called, though.

Former Hawkeye tight end Erick All will make some franchise very happy with his combination of size, speed and athleticism. The 6-foot-5, 255 pound tight end unfortunately had his 2023 season with Iowa cut short after sustaining an ACL tear in the Hawkeyes’ win at Wisconsin.

In his seven games with the Hawkeyes, All emerged as Iowa’s best offensive player. The Fairfield, Ohio, product caught 21 passes for 299 receiving yards with a trio of touchdowns.

As a result, he’s turned the heads of draft evaluators. ESPN’s Louis Riddick included All among his list of potential 2024 NFL draft sleepers.

After Georgia’s Brock Bowers, I believe All is the second-best tight end in this draft. And had he not been dealing with back and knee injuries over the past two seasons, I think we’d be talking about All as a Day 1 prospect. He can cause problems for NFL defenses with his size (6-foot-4 and 252 pounds), play speed, blocking ability, excellent route running and surefire hands. All is very explosive both as a blocker at the traditional Y alignment or from the U alignment, but he’s much more than that. All can stretch the middle of the field as a receiver, regardless of whether he is set up inside or flexed out as a slot.

The stats won’t wow you — he caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns last season — but his tape is fantastic. And All is super tough after the catch. In fact, 135 of his 299 receiving yards came after the ball was in his hands. It shouldn’t be too shocking that we have a good tight end coming out of Iowa (though he was a transfer from Michigan), and I fully expect to see All on the field dominating this fall. – Riddick, ESPN.

That’s lofty praise from Riddick, who is regarded as one of ESPN’s top NFL analysts.

All certainly has the makings to develop into the next Hawkeye star at the next level. And, given what draft boards look like, All could come as a steal late in day two or early in day three.

Prior to his arrival in Iowa City, All caught 38 passes for 437 receiving yards with a pair of touchdowns during the 2021 college football season with Michigan.

All ended his collegiate career with 75 receptions for 864 receiving yards with five touchdowns in 40 career games played.

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Iowa Hawkeyes WR Jacob Bostick enters NCAA transfer portal

The spring window of the transfer portal has opened. Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Jacob Bostick has announced he has entered the portal.

The spring window of the NCAA transfer portal has opened and the Iowa Hawkeyes have seen their first departure. Wide receiver Jacob Bostick has announced that he is entering the transfer portal.

The sophomore out of Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois spent two years with the Hawkeyes’ program. Bostick redshirted in 2022 and appeared in five games during the 2023 season but did not register any statistics. He carries four years of eligibility with him.

“I would like to thank Coach Ferentz and the entire coaching staff, as I’ve grown and learned a lot – it has truly been a blessing to be a Hawkeye. Special thanks to Coach Copeland for believing in me and pushing me to be the best in all aspects of my life. And to Kammy, the doctors and the best training staff – thank you for all you have done for me, I will never forget it. Lastly, I would like to thank my teammates, the fans and the Children’s Hospital for making these past two years so special. With that being said and prayerful consideration, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with four years of eligibility remaining. I’m excited to take this leap of faith into this new chapter,” Bostick said via his social media announcement.

Coming out of high school, Bostick was a three-star recruit, the No. 89 WR, and the No. 11 recruit from Illinois per 247Sports Composite rankings. Bostick’s other offers out of high school included Illinois, Louisville, Air Force, Army, Navy, six MAC schools, Cincinatti, and Pittsburgh to name a few.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Jay Higgins and Luke Lachey crack CBS Sports’ Top 100 Players for 2024

As they always do, Iowa is reloading with talent once again. Jay Higgins and Luke Lachey are among CBS Sports’ Top 100 Players for 2024.

Talent seems to always find a way to shows its head for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sometimes it is highly-recruited talent that comes in and delivers upon the expectations. But, for Iowa, it is often under-recruited talents that develop and thrive with the Hawkeyes.

Two Hawkeyes happen to fall into the latter category as they are continuing to blossom into high-level talent and producers for this team. Those two are linebacker Jay Higgins and tight end Luke Lachey. Each are at two positions that the Hawkeyes are known for producing at.

The two of them find themselves among CBS Sports’ Top 100 Players for 2024 across college football. Higgins cracks the top 25 and finds himself ranked as the No. 21 player in America while Luke Lachey, who will return from a leg injury, is heralded as an incredibly talented player as he comes in as the No. 69 player in the nation.

21. Iowa LB Jay Higgins

Higgins is an extremely productive player who has a nose for the ball and seems to be involved on almost every tackle. He led the country last season with 171 tackles in his first season as a true starter, including 18 against Penn State.

A good athlete who seems to always be in the right spot and is a sure tackler, Higgins only missed seven attempts on the season. He is solid in coverage as well. My hunch is the NFL takes notice in 2025. – Blake Brockermeyer, CBS Sports

As CBS mentions, Higgins was a tackling machine for the Hawkeyes. He seemed to be in the mix on almost every play. Jay Higgins could have went to the NFL but joins seven other starters that are returning to one of college football’s top units. It is only a matter of time before Jay Higgins is playing on Sunday.

69. Iowa TE Luke Lachey

Lachey is one of the better in-line tight ends in the game, we just haven’t seen much of it as he’s coming off a shortened season where an injury held him to three contests. Lachey is a plus-blocker who can hold his own in the zone and gap schemes and is a large target to work the middle of the field in the passing game. Tight End U needs Lachey healthy. If he is, he will be a huge part of Iowa’s success. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports

One of the highest compliments to a player and showing how much a team needs him is what happens when they aren’t on the field. Iowa struggled mightily in the passing game when Lachey went down last year. The Hawkeyes are going to utilize him as one of the top target in their passing attack this year and could have Lachey as the next Iowa tight end heading to the NFL.

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