Cooper DeJean

UPDATES

Week 12: DNP — DeJean suffered a serious lower-leg injury in practice. Iowa announced the star cornerback and return man will miss the remainder of the season. His 11.5 punt-return average was No. 19 in the nation. 

Week 11: DeJean played 41 snaps and did not record a tackle. He did not allow a reception on two targets when in coverage. Iowa shut out Rutgers, 22-0.

Week 10: DeJean was credited with three tackles in Iowa's 10-7 win over Northwestern. In coverage, he was targeted four times, allowing one reception for 11 yards, and he knocked down a pass. DeJean played 60 snaps on defense. As a punt returner, he totaled 17 yards on two returns. — JH

Week 9: DNP — bye week

Week 8: DeJean was involved in perhaps the most controversial call of the season, when a fair-catch infraction wiped out his spectacular and dramatic 54-yard punt return with less than two minutes remaining. Had the play stood, Iowa would have had a 16-12 lead. But after reviewing the replay, the referees ruled that DeJean had signaled for a fair catch, making the play dead at that point. (DeJean strongly insisted he made no such call.) The ruling wiped out both a potential game-winning play (Minnesota won 20-12) and DeJean's second game-winning punt return of 2023. On defense, the star corner was targeted six times, allowing two catches. — JH

Week 7: The standout corner logged 79 snaps as Iowa won a defensive tussle, 15-6, over Wisconsin. DeJean made an outstanding play in the first quarter to blow up a 4th-and-1 from Iowa's 11 yard-line, shooting into the backfield to upend Wisconsin powerful RB Braelon Allen for a two-yard loss. In coverage, it was a mixed bag for DeJean; he had a pass breakup in six targets, but did allow three catches for 61 yards (though the bulk of that was on one 42-yard pass play). — JH

Week 6: A second narrow win for Iowa, 20-14 over Purdue, in as many weeks, and for the second week in a row, DeJean picked off a pass. While not quite as dramatic as his game-winning punt return against Michigan State, DeJean's INT return of 43 yards off Purdue's Hudson Card set up Iowa 1st-and-goal from the 4-yard line. In coverage DeJean was targeted four other times and gave two catches for 17 yards. He was also in on one three tackles. As a return man, he returned three punts for 45 yards total. — JH

Week 5: In Iowa's 26-16 win over Michigan State, DeJean made the biggest play of the day, taking a Spartan punt back an electrifying 70 yards for a TD with four minutes left in the game to break a 16-16 tie. On defense, the star corner also had an interception in the back of the end zone, which thwarted a Spartans scoring opportunity in the second quarter; was targeted seven times; allowed three catches for 28 yards and was in on five tackles. —JH

Week 4: As did pretty much every Hawkeye player in the decisive 31-0 loss to Penn State, DeJean had an underwhelming performance. The corner was in on five tackles but otherwise struggled against the run. Targeted five times in the passing game, he allowed two receptions for 28 yards. Our top-rated corner for the 2024 draft, DeJean has yet to create a turnover and has one pass break-up through the first four games of the season. —JH

Week 3: In Iowa's 41-10 win over Western Michigan, DeJean posted one tackle and allowed just one reception for six yards. He played 52 snaps and led a pass defense that held the Broncos passing attack to just 122 yards. DeJean was also a major factor as a punt returner, going a total of 77 yards on five returns. — JH

Week 2:  Against Iowa State, DeJean allowed four catches on seven targets and was in on seven tackles, as the visiting Hawkeyes upended their interstate rival, 20-13. DeJean also notched one pass break-up. —JH

Week 1: In Iowa's 24-14 season-opening victory against Utah State, DeJean played 70 total snaps. On 48 passing plays, he was targeted five times, allowing three receptions for 12 yards. He was sound in run support and totaled eight tackles. — JH

Week 0: DNP

HISTORY — from college profile

2022 (soph): Set single season record with three interception return touchdowns in 2022 . . . tied career record with three interception return touchdowns . . . one of five sophomores named to 2022 Player Council ... Music City Bowl Most Valuable Player . . . Reggie Roby Special Teams Award, overall . . . Team Hustle Award, defense . . . named first-team All-Big Ten by league media . . . named second-team All-Big Ten by league coaches . . . Rose Bowl Game Defensive Player of the Week vs. Wisconsin . . .  Listed as second team cash linebacker and strong safety following spring practice . . . saw action in all 13 games . . . started at cornerback in 7-3 opening win over South Dakota State as defense allowed just 120 yards total offense . . . career-best four tackles vs. SDSU, including two solo stops and two assists . . . started at outside linebacker in 10-7 loss to Iowa State . . . career-best 11 tackles vs. Iowa State, including six solo stops and five assists . . . first career interception vs. ISU, while also collecting two pass break-ups . . . started at outside linebacker in 27-0 win over Nevada as defense allowed just 151 yards total offense . . . second pass interception of the season vs. Nevada, to go with two pass break-ups and two solo tackles . . . started at cornerbackin 27-10 win at Rutgers as defense allowed just 61 net rushing yards . . . seven tackles at Rutgers, including five solo stops and two assists . . . third interception of the season and 45-yard touchdown return for first career touchdown . . . also had one pass break-up . . . started at cornerback in 27-14 loss to #4 Michigan . . . seven tackles vs. Michigan, including five solo tackles and two assists . . . started at outside linebacker in 9-6 loss at Illinois . . . six solo tackles at Illinois . . . started at cornerback in 54-10 loss at #2 Ohio State . . . five solo tackles and one pass break-up at OSU . . . started at cornerback in 33-13 win over Northwestern as defense allowed just 18 net rushing yards and 177 yards total offense . . . four tackles vs. Northwestern, including two solo tackles and two assists . . . started at cornerback in 24-3 win at Purdue as offense allowed just 87 net rushing yards and 255 yards total offense . . . four tackles at Purdue, including two solo tackles and two assists, along with one pass break-up . . . one punt return for 17 yards at Purdue . . . started at cornerback in 24-10 win over Wisconsin as defense allowed just 51 net rushing yards and 227 yards total offense . . . 10 tackles vs. Wisconsin, including seven solo tackles and three assists, with one tackle for loss . . . fourth interception of the season vs. Wisconsin, returned 32 yards for second touchdown of the season . . . career best in punt returns, with four returns for 81 yards, including a 41-yard return that led to Iowa’s final touchdown . . . started at cornerback in 13-10 win at Minnesota . . . seven solo tackles at Minnesota, including one tackle for loss . . . two punt returns for 24 yards at Minnesota, with a long of 16 yards . . . started at cornerback in 24-17 loss to Nebraska . . . recorded one solo tackle on first defensive series before being injured and missing remainder of the game . . . started at cornerback in 21-0 Music City Bowl win over Kentucky as defense allowed just 68 net rushing yards and 185 yards total offense...seven tackles vs. Kentucky, including six solo stops and one assist . . . recorded third touchdown of the season with a 14-yard interception return in the second quarter . . . three punt returns for 42 yards, with a long of 34 yards while earning game MVP honors.

2021 (fr): Next Man In Award, special teams . . . Saw action in seven games . . . first action of career in 27-7 loss at Wisconsin . . . one kickoff return for 20 yards at Wisconsin . . . saw action in 33-23 win over Illinois as defense allowed just 64 net rushing yards . . . one solo tackle and one assisted tackle vs. Illinois for first career defensive statistics . . . started at strong safety in 28-21 win at Nebraska, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 42-3 loss to #2 Michigan, recording one solo tackle . . . saw action in 20-17 Citrus Bowl loss to #22 Kentucky, recording one solo tackle.

High school: Attended Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove (OABCIG) in Ida Grove, IA . . . high school coach was Larry Allen . . .named to Des Moines Register Elite All-State team as a senior . . . earned first-team all-state and all-district honors as a senior . . . first-team all-state and all-district as a junior, earning district MVP honors . . . first-team all-state and all-district as a sophomore . . . Four-year football letterman as quarterback and defensive back . . . team posted four-year record of 38-6, including 25-0 mark in final two seasons . . . led prep team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior after making the playoffs as a sophomore . . . holds school records for pass completions and passing yards in a season, career passing yards and passing touchdowns, receptions in a game, receptions and receiving yards in a season, touchdown receptions in a career, and total yards in a season . . . scored winning touchdown in final minutes of state title game as a senior . . . completed 199-of-331 pass attempts for 3,447 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior, with nine interceptions . . . also rushed 131 times for 1,235 yards and 24 touchdowns and recorded 53.5 tackles and three interceptions on defense . . . as a junior completed 236-of-396 pass attempts for 3,546 yards and 42 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions, while rushing 134 times for 1,292 yards and 24 touchdowns and collecting 34 tackles and five interceptions . . . collected 66 receptions for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore . . . team captain as sophomore, junior and senior . . . also lettered in baseball (3), basketball (3) and track (3) . . . Class 2A long jump (23-7.5) and 100-meter dash (11.16) state champion as a senior, while placing second in the 200-meter dash (22.12) and running a leg on 400-meter relay state championship unit.

PERSONAL

Born 2/9/03 in Sioux Falls, S.D. . . . sports and recreational management major . . . member of prep Honor Roll . . . parents are Katie and Jason DeJean.

2022

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
2.0	0.0	68.0	3.0	8.0	0.0	53.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
3.0	18.2	91.0	5.0

puntReturns
AVG	NO	TD	LONG	YDS
16.5	10.0	0.0	41.0	165.0

2021

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
0.0	0.0	4.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0

kickReturns
LONG	YDS	NO	TD	AVG
20.0	20.0	1.0	0.0	20.0