Hawkeye recruit Derby 'just another guy'

IOWA CITY - Matt Tvedte couldn't wait. Another practice was complete and it was time to strap on the old feed bag.

This wasn't just another meal for the Iowa City High senior. This was Wednesday night supper, an event.

“Don't know what we're having, yet,” Tvedte said. “I'm hoping cheesy bread, cheesy potatoes and either lasagna or baked chicken.”

Every Wednesday during the football season, City High's starting offensive linemen congregate at A.J. Derby's home in Coralville to hang out, pig out on his mom Kelly's cooking and watch a movie. Call it a reward for protecting and opening holes for the Little Hawk quarterback.

“A.J.'s great,” Tvedte said. “It's like I mentioned with the dinner tonight, he's a down-to-earth guy. He's just a regular person to hang out with, to have fun with. Yeah, he's a big-time athlete, but he's a part of the team ... Just another guy.”

You'd think it'd be hard to be just another guy when you're as high profile as A.J. Derby.

He's been a standout multisport athlete since he was a freshman, a top-flight college football recruit wooed by the likes of Oklahoma and Florida. He committed last month to the Iowa Hawkeyes, where his brother, Zach, is a walk-on, and his father, John, was a starting linebacker.

After City High's 21-3 Class 4A playoff semifinal win over Cedar Rapids Xavier last week at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Derby was cornered the minute he left the field by two non-Iowa City radio guys who conducted a live interview by talking into their respective cell phones, then holding them up to Derby's ears for his responses. He handled the awkward situation with aplomb.

“I don't really know how to explain it, but I just try and be a normal kid,” he said. “It is kind of hard, but at the same time, I try and keep myself around people that keep me levelheaded. My parents and the coaches around here have done a great job of that. I just try not to let anything go to my head.”

“A.J.'s just basically a fun-loving guy,” said City High Coach Dan Sabers. “He's a kid at heart who has a lot of fun with his teammates.”

When he's not on the field, court or diamond, Derby said he likes to play video games and hang out with friends. He takes part in City High's successful "Best Buddies" program, which creates one-on-one friendships with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

He seemed stumped when asked to reveal something about himself that few people know.

“I don't really have any secrets,” he said. “Well, I always thought I was going to be a basketball player growing up. Until, like, sophomore year, I thought I was going to play basketball (in college).”

That changed the more and more he played football, a sport he didn't really pick up until seventh grade. Quarterback didn't happen until he was a freshman starting for the sophomore team at Iowa City West.

Now, at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he's been labeled the Iowa prep version of Tim Tebow, not necessarily a comparison he enjoys.

“I can see how they do say that because I run a lot,” Derby said. “But at the end of the day, I feel I'm a better passer than what everyone gives me credit for.

“Yeah, (that bothers me) a little bit. Obviously those people aren't the coaches at Iowa. They don't make that decision. I try not and think about what they say. Most (recruiting) Web sites just have me listed an “athlete,” like I might play something else. But the Iowa coaches and I are set on quarterback."

He was asked if it did come down to it, if he would eventually be amenable to a position switch someday.

"In the long run, if I saw myself having a chance at playing more at a different position, not ever getting anywhere with quarterback," he said. "Obviously, I'd want to see the field."