9/3/2020 football Edit

Cooper DeJean invited to All-American Bowl

Iowa commit Cooper DeJean has been selected to play in the All-American Bowl in January.

Blair Sanderson • Hawkeye Beacon

Editor

On Thursday, Cooper DeJean realized one of his dreams. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Iowa commit accepted an invitation to play in the 2021 All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

"I was actually on my way to class when I got the message and I was just in shock," said DeJean. "This has been one of my dreams ever since I started watching the All-American Game. I am really excited about the opportunity."

For DeJean, being selected to compete with the best high school players in the country means a lot, especially growing up in a small town - Odebolt, IA, population 943 - and attending a small school.

"It means a lot," DeJean said. "I want to show kids from around this area that have dreams like me that they can achieve them. No matter how big or small your school is, you can do anything you set out to achieve."

The All-American Bowl, which will be January 9, 2021 on NBC, will now feature two future Hawkeyes as DeJean joins offensive lineman David Davidkov in the game.

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Last season, DeJean led OABCIG to an undefeated state championship season in Class 2A. Playing quarterback, he finished the year with 3,546 yards passing and 42 touchdowns through the air to go along with 1,304 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns on the ground. On defense, where he will play in college, he had 44 tackles and five interceptions including two that he returned for touchdowns. Also a first team all-state selection in basketball, DeJean averaged 25.6 points per game last winter.

This season, DeJean is already off to a fast start through week one with 379 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air plus 56 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground in OABCIG's 42-0 win over Ridge View in their season opener.