Kirk Ferentz confirmed that Iowa star CB Cooper DeJean would miss the rest of the 2023 season due to an injury.
Ferentz confirmed that the 6-foot-1, 207-pound defensive back will miss the rest of the 2023 season due to a lower leg injury.
“This is a heartbreaking situation for Cooper.” He has performed admirably and is a true playmaker on our team. “We will all be there for Cooper throughout his recovery, which will last into the new year,” Ferentz added.
DeJean has been projected to go in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draught in several previous mock draughts. Though he’ll be healing from this injury for the majority of the draught, the Odebolt, Iowa, native appears to have played his final game as a Hawkeye given his high NFL draught stock.
DeJean will leave Iowa City with 120 tackles, 20 passes defensed, and seven interceptions if that is the case. Last season, DeJean returned three interceptions for touchdowns.
DeJean has 41 tackles, seven passes defensed, two interceptions, and two tackles for loss this season. DeJean hasn’t allowed a touchdown in roughly 400 coverage snaps this season.
The junior has been dynamic across Iowa’s special teams units the past two seasons as well. An electric punt returner, DeJean returned one for a 70-yard, go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to propel Iowa past Michigan State.
It looked like DeJean had another game-winning touchdown against Minnesota several weeks later until officials wiped it out upon review because of an invalid fair catch call.
For his career, DeJean has returned 31 punts for 406 yards with the lone score, or a 13.1 yards per punt average. DeJean has also been a terrific gunner at times for Iowa’s punt coverage units.
It’s another setback for an Iowa club that has been plagued by injuries in 2023. Iowa has lost its main quarterback, Cade McNamara, as well as its two starting tight ends, Erick All and Luke Lachey.
“This has been a challenging season for our team.” I am proud of our guys’ tenacity and determination in the face of adversity. “We’re only thinking about Saturday,” Ferentz remarked.
The Hawkeyes hope to shake this bad news before hosting Illinois on Senior Day at Kinnick Stadium. With a win over the Illini on Saturday, Iowa can clinch the Big Ten West title and a spot in the Big Ten Championship game.
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