Cooper DeJean again proves he can do it all

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cooper DeJean played a ton of sports in high school.

At OABCIG High School in Ida Grove from 2017-21, DeJean starred in track and field, baseball, basketball and — most notably — football, where he won a pair of state championships and earned a scholarship to play at the University of Iowa.

DeJean never found his way to the golf team at the prep level, but he could have.

“I’ve played since I was a little kid,” DeJean said after the annual Zach Johnson Foundation Classic Monday at Elmcrest Country Club. “Growing up, just in my spare time. I enjoy it, so it’s what I like to do with my free time. Play some golf.”

This year was the 13th iteration of the charitable golf event started by PGA golfer Zach Johnson, a two-time major winner and former Cedar Rapids Regis state golf champion. Proceeds from the weekend benefit the foundation’s programs such as “Kids on Course,” which works with the Cedar Rapids Community School District to keep students on a path to graduate college.

PGA Tour golfer Ryan Palmer’s fivesome won the “Professional Division” at 35-under par, while DeJean’s group finished second in the “Celebrity Division” at 29-under par, three strokes behind Iowa State football rising sophomore Ben Brahmer’s team.

“Zach, I’ve been watching him play,” DeJean said. “Him being from Iowa, it’s a cool thing that he’s got going on. Wanting to give back and allowing me to be here and play is really cool.”

DeJean — a unanimous All-American and both the Defensive Back of the Year and Return Specialist of the Year in the Big Ten Conference for the Hawkeyes last season — has just three weeks left to hit the links before his first NFL training camp begins July 23 with the Philadelphia Eagles, which drafted him in the second round in April’s NFL Draft.

“I’m looking forward to learning from the guys that are there,” DeJean said. “We’ve got a good squad. Now is just about putting it all together, playing good football. Week in and week out.”

DeJean’s 2023 season with the Hawkeyes was cut short when he broke his right fibula during a mid-November practice. The injury cost DeJean the final four games of the season, including the Big Ten Championship Game and the Citrus Bowl. While he is still waiting for the doctors to declare the injury 100-percent healed, DeJean was able to fully participate in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp (May 3-4), four sets of OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and the team’s mandatory minicamp (June 4-6).

“It’s good,” DeJean said of his leg. “It’s getting close to 100 percent. I’ve been participating fully. Just waiting to get it all put back together 100 percent. It’s been feeling good, so I’m ready to roll.”

The early returns on DeJean from the Philadelphia coaching staff have been positive. First-year Eagles’ defensive backs coach Christian Parker tried DeJean at both cornerback and nickel cornerback during the spring sessions.

“I think Coop is very versatile,” Parker told the Philadelphia media before last month’s mandatory minicamp. “I think he plays with good vision to the ball. I think that he has good ball skills. … We’ve moved him around a little bit. He can handle it mentally. I think as we move on in this phase right now and get into training camp, he’ll have a home. But he’s playing corner, he’s playing nickel, he’s handling those things well. We’ll continue to put more things on his plate and see how he handles it.”

For the next three weeks, DeJean will train in Iowa City until it is time to report to Philadelphia. The minicamps and OTAs not only allowed DeJean to get back on the football field for the first time since breaking his leg, he was able to start digesting Philadelphia’s defensive playbook and see how he stacked up against veteran receivers like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

“Integrating myself in with all the guys,” DeJean said. “Getting to know some of them. Getting to learn from older guys during that time, too. It was good. … It was a good experience. It was good to go up against guys that are the best of the best in the league.”