Craig has a relentless motor
Culver Academies defensive end Deontae Craig had a number of scholarships closer to home, but found his perfect fit with the University of Iowa. We caught up with his head football coach, Andrew Dorrel, and talked to him about the future Hawkeye.
Q: How would you describe him overall as a football player?
DORREL: He just has a relentless motor and is making plays from the backside. He has a relentless desire to compete.
Q: What do you feel are his main strengths at this point?
DORREL: His quick burst and ability to get off the line of scrimmage. He is able to defeat offensive linemen before they can get their hands on him.
Q: What areas is he going to continue working on as he prepares for the rest of this season and beyond?
DORREL: He has worked on just fighting with his hands and battling to get off of blocks. He has to continue to keep blockers off of him. That is his biggest improvement and I am proud of him. His change of direction is important as that will help him be a more efficient pass rusher off the edge.
Q: What separates from his peers to get the type of attention and honors that he has received?
DORREL: Just his quiet confidence. He is not a loud, outspoken player, but when he flips that switch it really is a difference maker. He is just confident in his abilities and know he knows he will make the play when the game is on. He has unwavering confidence.
Q: How are you using him on the field this season?
DORREL: On the defensive side of the football, we move him around. He could play inside, outside, or just wherever he can get the best matchup. We do some game planning, but during the game he has some freedom to give himself the best matchup to help our defense. Offensively, we are using him as a hybrid player. He can run routes and catch balls, but he is also a blocker because of his physicality and toughness. We move him all over the field to get him the ball or to have him block for teammates.
Q: How would you describe him as a leader?
DORREL: Like I said, he will bring that quiet confidence to the field and practice. He is a trusted teammate who is not outspoken, but everyone knows he is a go to guy. He is really friends with the best players and the backups. He has a whole range of people that he hangs out with and his teammates respect that.
Q: Where does he project out at the college level position wise?
DORREL: At rush end. They him see being about 255-260 pounds and being able to close down or obviously to rush the pass off the edge.
Q: How did the Iowa staff find out about him as a recruit?
DORREL: He had so many offers and sent out so much film. It was a mutual relationship. Iowa came in and offered. With the way Coach Ferentz does business, he wants to meet the kid before offering. When he did visit Iowa, that is when he was convinced that it was where he wanted to continue with his academic and athletic opportunities.
Q: What other colleges were considered?
DORREL: Notre Dame, Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, and Purdue were his top ones. He also had offers from UNC, Georgia Tech, and Illinois but I think his top schools were Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State.
Q: Why did he pick the Hawkeyes in the end?
DORREL: I think it was the relationship that the coaches have with the player and the fact that Iowa has a number of kids from Indiana on their roster. He also saw the body of work from Coach Ferentz with his longevity in leading their football program. The fact that Iowa is so important to the entire state along with the Kinnick game day atmosphere played an important role in his decision as well.