After wrapping up basketball season, where he averaged 25.6 points per game this winter, Cooper DeJean is now preparing for track and remains busy with football recruiting as well. This spring, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound DeJean will be taking several more visits as he continues to navigate his way through the process.
“I have spring practice visits at Iowa (3/25) and Nebraska and I’ll be at Kansas State and Missouri in April for their spring games,” said DeJean. “Then I will also be visiting UNI this spring and Virginia this summer for an official visit.”
Also in line for an official visit will be the Iowa Hawkeyes, whose coaching staff finalized plans with the three-star prospect this past week.
“The Iowa official visit is June 19-21,” said DeJean. “The coaches had invited me to it and all of their other top prospects will be there, so it should be good to be around them and get to know them better.”
Since earning a scholarship offer from Iowa at their junior day in January, DeJean has been staying in close contact with the Hawkeye coaches, who like his potential at the safety position.
“I think our relationship is great,” DeJean said. “We are texting back and forth usually every other day, so our relationship is good. They are pretty straight forward with me and what they think I can do there.”
In addition to being a multi-sport standout at OABCIG, DeJean is also quite versatile on the football field. As a sophomore, he racked up 1,023 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns as a wideout before making his debut at quarterback his junior year. All he did there was lead OABCIG to an undefeated state championship season in Class 2A, finishing 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. That is in addition to his play on special teams not to mention defense, where he finished with 44 tackles and five interceptions including two that he returned for touchdowns.
Looking at where he might project in college, DeJean currently holds scholarship offers from Iowa and North Dakota State as a safety, South Dakota State as a quarterback, Illinois State as a linebacker, and Northern Iowa as an athlete on the offensive side of the ball.
In June, DeJean plans to camp at Iowa, Kansas State, and Nebraska, where he will work on both sides of the ball, before sitting down and taking a closer look at all of his options.
“My decision will be made this summer,” DeJean said. “Probably after the month of June because I’ll be attending camps during that month, so sometime in July I will be making my decision.”
What will the three-star prospect ultimately be looking for?
“I think the relationships I build with the coaches and what the school has to offer academically and where I see myself fitting in the best as a player,” said DeJean.
