Iowa football staff 'really ready’ to see Deontae Craig ‘take that next step’

Editor’s note: Seventh in a nine-part series looking at each Iowa football position ahead of the 2022 season.

IOWA CITY — When people hear Deontae Craig went to a military school, it sometimes elicits interesting reactions.

“I tell guys here, and they’re kind of scared of it,” the Iowa defensive lineman said. “I just went to college four years earlier.”

Now, in his third year of college — or maybe more like seven when including his time at Culver Military Academy in Indiana — Craig is among the Hawkeyes who could be key contributors in possibly Iowa’s deepest position group of 2021.

“I’m just really ready for him to take that next step,” defensive line coach Kelvin Bell said at media day. “I know I see it. I want him to see it, too, and really take advantage of the opportunities that he’s going to get this fall.”

Craig had 203 defensive snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus — eighth-most among Iowa defensive linemen. That number would’ve likely been higher had it not been for his injury-induced absence in the middle of the season.

As a result, he did not have the time on field to have quite as dazzling of a stat line in 2021 as some of his fellow defensive linemen. He had 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

But some of Craig’s best plays came at critical times for the Hawkeyes. He had Iowa’s only sack in its memorable win over then-No. 4 Penn State.

The Nittany Lions had gone 53 yards in nine plays with backup quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson and were facing a third-and-6 on Iowa’s 15-yard-line. A touchdown would have given Penn State a 24-10 lead.

But Craig’s 11-yard sack forced Penn State to settle for a field goal and a 20-10 lead. That red-zone stop — and the four-point difference associated with it — was crucial considering Iowa won, 23-20.

The sophomore from Fort Wayne, Ind., is far from the only one vying for more playing time on a deep Iowa defensive line.

Seven of the eight defensive linemen from last year’s depth chart are back, and some players who weren’t on that list last year — Ethan Hurkett and Aaron Graves, for example — could be factors in 2022.

Craig’s contributions this year could come at a couple different spots on the defensive line.

“He’s a kid that has some versatility, that can help me inside, that can help me outside,” Bell said.

Bell said Craig “picked up where he left off in the spring” in fall camp until he “banged up his ankle.”

Fellow defensive lineman Logan Lee lauded Craig’s improvement in hand-fighting — “one of the biggest aspects of the defensive line.”

“He’s really been developing his hand-fighting a lot,” Lee said. “It’s been pretty impressive to see how well he's developed this offseason.”

Craig’s military school background has been a plus for him as well. When Craig arrived in Iowa City in 2020, the environment in the Hansen Football Performance Center wasn’t so foreign to him.

“Iowa is a very hardworking program, and Culver is kind of the same way,” Craig said. “The benefits of it are well worth it.”

Away from football, fellow defensive lineman Noah Shannon called him “a really fun, goofy guy off the field.”

“I love joking around with him all the time,” Shannon said. “If you’re ever having a bad day or anything, definitely just go talk to Craig and he’ll just brighten your day.”

Bell touted Craig's academic success. His GPA is north of 3.0.

“When football is over, that kid can do whatever he wants to do,” Bell said. “He's just a really unique kid with a great perspective.”

But Craig has some work to do on the football field first.

“I think he can help us,” Bell said. “I really do.”

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