City High's Derby taking his time, sorting through the offers

Iowa City High quarterback A.J. Derby has so many football scholarship offers it's hard for him to keep track.

“I can't list them all off but it's a lot,” said Derby, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior.

Derby has offers from Florida, Louisiana State, Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Miami and Nebraska. Iowa has targeted him feverishly.

“It's just kind of wide open right now,” Derby said. “I plan on taking all of my official visits. So I'm going to wait until the school year, then narrow it down to five and decide where I'm going to take my officials.

“I'm still talking to everyone.”

Derby hopes to take a few of his visits Saturdays after Thursday night games. City High plays Thursday games Sept. 17, Sept. 24 and Oct. 22.

Derby played wide receiver and defensive back for City High as a sophomore before moving to quarterback last year. He completed 77 of 136 passes for 1,197 yards and 11 touchdowns while throwing four interceptions. Derby led City High in rushing with 1,064 yards on 168 attempts and scored 13 touchdowns. He was Class 4A third-team all-state quarterback by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

With Derby's frame and versatility, many wonder if colleges are recruiting Derby only to switch him to tight end, linebacker or safety. Other speculation involves whether Derby could play the role of a running quarterback, like Florida All-American Tim Tebow.

“Everyone is recruiting me for quarterback,” Derby said, adding that some see him as a running quarterback and some as a pocket passer.

Derby faces some pressure to remain with the hometown school.

His father, John, was an all-Big Ten linebacker at Iowa. His brother, Zach, plays tight end at Iowa.

“They tell me to go (to) Iowa all the time,” Derby said of his friends. “These coaches (baseball coaches from Cedar Rapids Kennedy) were trying to tell me to go to Iowa after the game. I'm kind of used to it.

“My dad just said do what you think is right for yourself and don't just do what he wants, but do what I want.

“I just try not to think about it too much and try to be a normal kid.”