It was the most exciting eight-yard carry Iowa’s had all of last season. Midway through the 2nd quarter against Northwestern, star cornerback Cooper DeJean lined up at wide receiver, and took a handoff in motion.
The rush attempt was one of two offensive snaps for DeJean. Hawkeye fans had been enamored with the prospects of seeing more DeJean on offense — the electrifying defensive back has scored four career touchdowns on defense and special teams.
It sounds like fans may be getting their wish of seeing #3 lined up on that side of the ball moving forward.
“It’s a tough one. I do know this: He’s extremely valuable on defense, extremely valuable on special teams,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “So where do you give, where do you take? We have a pretty good thing going defensively right now. You’re worried about disrupting that. Same thing on special teams. If we can get the ball in his hands, he gives us a chance as a return guy.”
“Obviously, I think he could really help us offensively. Again, so could Micah Hyde. You have to wait things out and try to make sure you’re trying to do for the overall picture. Nobody knows what the right number is, when a guy’s going to get hurt. You don’t know those things.”
The Hawkeyes defense has propelled all the way up to fourth best in the nation in points allowed per game. DeJean’s contributed greatly on defense, and is the team’s punt returner on special teams. And it appears there will be a few extra miles on the Hawkeyes’ shiny Ferrari.
“I’m just going to do whatever they tell me,” DeJean said. “If they want me to take more snaps, I’ll take more snaps. Obviously, it adds a bit more wear and tear to the body, but it’s all worth it if the team wins.”
For more Hawkeyes football coverage, follow @BlakeHornTV and @HawkeyeHQ on Twitter and Facebook. You can find Hawkeye Headquarters at HawkeyeHQ.com all season
