Spievey declares NFL

One of the more interesting, and short, Iowa football careers in Kirk Ferentz's 11 seasons ended Monday.

Junior cornerback Amari Spievey became the second Hawkeye this offseason to declare for the NFL draft. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder will join offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga in April's NFL draft.

He announced his decision Monday afternoon through a release to ESPN.com.

“My time at the University of Iowa has been great and the opportunity Coach [Kirk] Ferentz and defensive coordinator Norm Parker have given me has been tremendous,” Spievey said in the statement. “Even though I love being a Hawkeye, moving on to the NFL is in my best interest.”

Spievey's two-year career included six interceptions, 14 pass breakups, 124 tackles and two tackles for loss.

Yes, this was a two-year career.

Spievey signed with Iowa out of Xavier-Middletown (Conn.) in 2006. After his freshman year, Spievey's career was derailed due to academics. He ended up at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, where he earned junior college all-American honors while playing in 2007, recording seven interceptions and 242 return yards. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, scored two touchdowns on kickoff returns and recorded four blocked punts.

“I wanted to finish up what I started,” Spievey said. “My mom (Romonda) always told me not to give up. I started here. I want to finish here. It was a character builder.”

He returned to Iowa City in 2008 and made an immediate impact, beating out Jordan Bernstine for the corner spot opposite senior Bradley Fletcher.

Spievey earned second-team all-Big Ten with four interceptions, including a 57-yard interception return for a TD against Minnesota.

This season, Spievey picked off two passes that helped Iowa seal a 20-10 victory at Wisconsin. He earned first-team all-conference this season.

Last spring, defensive coordinator Norm Parker said, “I think he can be, since we've been here, the best corner we've ever had.”

Fletcher was selected in the third round by the St. Louis Rams last April. Charles Godfrey, another former Iowa corner, was a third-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2008 draft.

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper lists Spievey as the No. 4 junior corner. The NFL Draft Bible writes, “Amari Spievey is not a risk taker, as he plays with sound technique and rarely gives up the big play.”

Iowa had a find at corner this year in sophomore (now junior) Shaun Prater, who finished with 41 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups.

He's one corner next year. The candidates for Spievey's spot include junior Jordan Bernstine, who took a redshirt this season after suffering a broken ankle during fall camp, and sophomore Micah Hyde, a true freshman who came off the bench in the Orange Bowl when Prater was held out for a few series with an ankle injury.

Bulaga announced his entry into the NFL draft the day after Iowa's Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn announced in December that he would be returning to school. He was named MVP of the Orange Bowl and finished the season with 11.5 sacks.