Cotton-Moya changing habits after injury with strong return in mind

AMES — Kamari Cotton-Moya learned the hard way things can change in a hurry. He made a vow to change his body and take every precaution he could to stop those unwanted changes.

The Iowa State junior defensive back missed the final six games of last season with a hamstring injury, which gave him the perspective he needed to make some changes. He didn't want to watch helplessly from the sidelines anymore.

Cotton-Moya started with an improved diet and better sleeping habits. His body is his priority. That meant the fast food runs and late nights were a thing of the past.

'You've got to take care of your body just as hard as you play,' Cotton-Moya, 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, said. 'I've been trying to take care of my body every day and what I put into my body. Even when it's hard I try to take care of my body no matter how tired I am or how busy I am.'

Despite his relative youth, Cotton-Moya has been a force in the ISU secondary in his first two years. He was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and a first-team freshman All-American in 2014, starting 11 of 12 games. Then injury took away half of his sophomore season.

Cotton-Moya started the first six games last season and had 40 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss — he notched nine tackles against Iowa and TCU. There was a small chance Cotton-Moya could have returned late last season, but he said his situation was such that sitting out was in his best interest.

The missed time also is what has given Cotton-Moya some motivation in 2016.

'Missing games took something out of my pride and I feel like it was all on me when I missed those games when I was hurt,' Cotton-Moya said. 'I just have to take it day by day and train my body how it needs to be trained and put in my body what needs to be put in.'

Cotton-Moya said he's feeling 100 percent this spring and has attributed his change in lifestyle to his off-season successes. A renewed Cotton-Moya also has given a lift during the coaching transition.

Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell saw Cotton-Moya from afar each of the last two seasons while coaching at Toledo, and really became aware of not only his athleticism but his ability to communicate defensive signals.

'I think the world of what his skill set is,' Campbell said. 'Especially at full strength, he's a really dynamic football player. He can run the ally, he can cover, he's a guy that can really play the back end and what I like about him is he's a really smart kid. He's got the ability to communicate in today's world of football.'

'He's been a good leader in the locker room for us,' said defensive coordinator Jon Heacock. 'I appreciate his work habits and those kinds of things. He's kind of a veteran guy that people look at and watch. He'll just get better and better as we go along.'

Cotton-Moya also has some added motivation in the form of his daughter, Mylah, who will be 3 years old on May 6. When the 21-year-old made the decision to change his body, it was done with the intent to make him more durable on the field.

The decision also plays into helping provide for his daughter.

'I just have a small margin of error so I can't really mess up anything,' Cotton-Moya said. 'I just think about her and she's my motivation and my family is my motivation. I'm doing what I can to make the impossible happen.'

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