One-on-one with Iowa linebacker Djimon Colbert

Daily Iowan Assistant Sports Editor Robert Read caught up with Djimon Colbert to talk about Marvel, Chipotle, and classical mythology.

Lily Smith

Iowa’s Djimon Colbert (32) tackles Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson during the Iowa/Minnesota football game at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 6, 2018. The Hawkeyes defeated the Golden Gophers, 48-31.

Robert Read, Assistant Sports Editor

Daily Iowan: Who is your favorite artist to listen to before a game?
Colbert: I like a lot of Travis Scott and Lil Wayne. 50 Cent is great, too. I listen to a lot of his stuff.

DI: What is your favorite TV show?
Colbert: Right now, I think mine would have to be a scary show called The Haunting of Hill House. I just finished that. I watch a lot of Marvel shows, too, on Netflix. Daredevil, Punisher, stuff like that.

DI: What is your favorite movie?
Colbert: Oh, Avengers: Endgame easy. It was crazy. It wasn’t even like a movie; it was like an experience. I enjoyed that. I saw it like three different times in theaters.

DI: If someone were to play you in a movie, who would you want it to be?
Colbert: A few years down the line I could choose my man Denzel [Washington]. He’s a great actor. I always looked up to him growing up.

DI: What is your favorite food spot in Iowa City?
Colbert: Chipotle. I love a good burrito. Chipotle or Estela’s, they both have great food. I’m there almost all the time.

DI: If you were playing a sport other than football, what would it be?
Colbert: I really wanted to play soccer growing up. I love watching it. Every time the World Cup comes around, I’m really into soccer.

DI: Which one of your teammates has the best jokes or makes people laugh the most?
Colbert: Either Ihmir [Smith-Marsette] or [Michael Ojemudia] for sure. They are both kind of in the same spot in the locker room. I always go over there and talk to those dudes. I try to keep a positive outlook and they keep everybody laughing, so it fits.

DI: What professional athlete do you look up to the most?
Colbert: Well, he’s not playing anymore, but I looked up to Andre Johnson because I was a receiver growing up. In youth football, I always wore No. 80 just because I loved how he carried himself and he always made big plays when his team needed him. I still follow him to this day.

DI: What’s the most interesting class you have taken during your time at Iowa?
Colbert: Probably classical mythology. I learned a lot about different cultures and different religions and stuff like that. It was an online class, but I took a lot out of it. It was pretty cool.

DI: What is the best part about being a Hawkeye?
Colbert: Just coming out, swarming the field on Saturdays, and feeling the energy that’s coming from the stands. Personally, I feel like I connect with the school that way. I connect with former classmates and other student-athletes. It’s a way we all connect with the school, and then we go out and play the game after that.