Promotional photo via Iowa State.
iSteve commenter PaceLaw writes:
Hey Steve, this story that’s happening in real time will probably make your head explode. I’m watching the Michigan State v. Iowa Big 10 game and the White/Korean-American quarterback, Noah Kim, has thrown an interception to your unicorn, white cornerback Cooper DeJean. Just reviewing what I wrote makes it seem like a Babylon Bee article.
Iowa DB Cooper DeJean calmly covers the double move and gets the INT pic.twitter.com/9UTJblrDj5
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 1, 2023
Cooper DeJean has now scored four (3 INT, 1 punt return) TDs for Iowa since the start of 2022.
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) October 1, 2023
Behind only Kaleb Johnson (7), DeJean’s 4 total TDs is tied for second most scored by a single Hawkeye in that span.
DeJean does not play offense. pic.twitter.com/sczG5GtTBL
Iowa, like Wisconsin, is a decent-to-strong Big Ten football program (8-5 last year, 4-1 so far this year) that tends to recruit a team that looks more like its home state’s demographics than does, say, the U. of Oregon. Last year, it started two white cornerbacks.
Riley Moss was picked in the third round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He made his pro debut on special teams last week and might make his defensive debut this week.
Iowa’s Cooper DeJean might go in the NFL’s first round next spring.
As I may have mentioned once or twice, no nonblack cornerback has started a season at one of the two traditional cornerback positions for an NFL team since 2003. That was the final season of Jason Sehorn, who was truly great for a few seasons when healthy in the 1990s. Also, Kevin Kaesviharn, who is half-white and half-Thai, started some games at cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001-2003 before switching to the less black defensive back position of safety.
Several other nonblacks have played some cornerback since then, including future slot receiver Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots, for example, who made the greatest play in the greatest Super Bowl, played some cornerback in 13 games in 2011. He played 27 snaps on defense in the 2011 season AFC championship game that the Patriots won, largely being tasked with defending against the impressive Anquan Boldin.
