Iowa safety Quinn Schulte to return for sixth season with Hawkeyes

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s secondary will have a “coach on the field” for another season.

Defensive back Quinn Schulte will use his extra COVID-19 year of eligibility to spend a sixth season at Iowa, his father told The Gazette on Monday.

Schulte, a former walk-on, has been Iowa’s starting free safety for the last two seasons — two seasons in which the Hawkeyes led the country in fewest yards allowed per play. Individually, Schulte had one interception this season, which he returned 39 yards.

Those statistics do not fully encapsulate Schulte’s intangible benefits for the Iowa defense.

“When you have Quinn Schulte on the field, you know he can get you in and out of anything, and he’s going to put you in the right spot,” linebacker Nick Jackson said during the 2023 season.

The Cedar Rapids native joins Jackson, linebacker Jay Higgins and defensive backs Sebastian Castro and Jermari Harris as key defensive players who are putting their postcollegiate ambitions on hold to come back in 2024.

As a result of Schulte and others’ decisions, the Hawkeyes will return four of five starters from last year’s secondary in 2024. The only player who decided to leave was cornerback and special teams star Cooper DeJean, who is a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com