A late scholarship offer turned into a dream come true for Deavin Hilson. As he gets ready to make the move to Iowa City to begin his career with the Hawkeyes, we caught up with the 6-foot-0, 195-pound Des Moines native to look back at his decision back in late January, discuss making the transition to college, and much more.
Q: Did you wrap up high school this past week?
HILSON: Yeah, I graduated yesterday.
Q: What was the feeling like for you as you finished up your senior year?
HILSON: It was good. It just feels like I’m growing into a man and getting ready to face the real world.
Q: Before graduation, you had a chance to compete at State Track. What was that experience like for you?
HILSON: We got disqualified in the 4x100, but I was in the long jump too and it was fun just being there and seeing everybody back in the stands. With COVID and everything, we haven’t seen that in a while, so it was good.
Q: How did you end up finishing in the long jump?
HILSON: I think I finished in 13th place out of 24 (21’0.75”).
Q: Not getting a chance to do track since your sophomore year, did you see big improvements this year?
HILSON: Oh yeah. I jumped about two feet farther than I did my sophomore year, so it was fun just being back out there and seeing how much progressed from when I was 16 to now I’m 18.
Q: When do you make the move to Iowa City this summer?
HILSON: June 13 is when we go down there.
Q: What has your contact with the coaches been like since signing day?
HILSON: Since I signed, I’m pretty much on the phone with them two days a week. They’ve just been telling me what I need to do before I get there and to keep up the good work with track and finishing up high school.
Q: Which coaches is that you’re talking with usually?
HILSON: Mostly Coach Niemann, but I’ve also talked to Coach Ferentz.
Q: Is the plan still to start out at running back?
HILSON: Yeah, I’m still coming in at running back.
Q: Have you talked with Ladell Betts since he came in as running backs coach?
HILSON: No actually. I was supposed to when he first got there, but something ended up happening. I have his number, but I haven’t talked to him yet.
Q: What were you able to do training wise this spring during track season?
HILSON: I still tried to find a way to lift every day whether it was after school or after track practice. My football coach put me through some college workouts to show me what to expect when I get down there and stuff like that.
Q: What are you coming in at right now height and weight wise?
HILSON: Right now, I believe I weigh 195 pounds because I lost some weight during track season, and I’m 6-foot tall.
Q: Have you found out what number you are wearing in college?
HILSON: No, I haven’t. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my same number (#22) but if not I’ll find another number I like and can stick with that.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most when you arrive in Iowa City?
HILSON: Honestly, I’m looking forward to just living college life and meeting everyone honestly. Then going into the football facility, I’m going to give it my all.
Q: Going back to signing day, you became the first Division I recruit from Des Moines North in a number of years. Are you hoping to show some of the younger guys in the program what they can accomplish with hard work?
HILSON: Yeah. I tell them all the time I want them to be better than me. Now I can just pass on knowledge from what I’ve experienced so they know what they have to do to get there and the work they have to put in.
Q: Last question, when you look back at your decision, what was it about Iowa that made you comfortable accepting their scholarship offer right away?
HILSON: My family is a Hawkeye family and I’ve wanted to play there my whole life.
A two-star prospect, Hilson committed to Iowa on January 30, 2021, choosing the Hawkeyes over a scholarship offer from UNI.
See highlights from Hilson's senior year at Des Moines North in the video below.
