Defense wins championships.
That’s a notable phrase among not only the sports world, but especially within the Iowa football program. And while the Hawkeyes haven’t captured any titles in some time, there have been several defensive players who moved on to the NFL and have had a positive impact on winning teams, including Super Bowl victories.
Look no further than Cooper DeJean’s interception returned for a touchdown in this year’s title game, which helped solidify the Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
DeJean, alongside Josey Jewell, Riley Moss, A.J. Epenesa, Jack Campbell, Lukas Van Ness and Kaevon Merriweather are among the notable alums in the NFL. Now, it’s current Hawkeyes in Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, Quinn Schulte, and Deontae Craig who hope to add their names to that list.
“You look at the Hawkeyes in the league or playing really well, and it’s cool to say that you’ve been to the same program,” Higgins said after his pro day on March 24. “It’s cool to say you play with a lot of those guys.”
A lot of those defensive Hawks playing in the league today played under linebackers coach and assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace. He and head coach Kirk Ferentz took the chance on Higgins, a three-star prospect out of Indianapolis and now he’s on the brink of accomplishing his life dream.
“I don’t think I would be in the situation I’m in today if it wasn’t for Iowa football,” Higgins said. “I kind of just lucked up. [I] came to a program that [emphasizes] effort and details, and you can truly be as good as you want to be here. And I don’t know if every program would allow me to do that.”
Jackson was another player who was heavily influenced by Wallace and Iowa’s defensive system. Throughout his six-year collegiate career — four years at Virginia and two at Iowa — the only time he had the same defensive scheme in consecutive years was his two years with the Hawkeyes.
The continuity, along with playing under Wallace, allowed him to take his game to the next level.
“When you turn the tape on, and then you put it all side by side, and you play football. I think that’s what matters,” Jackson said. “The violence, the tenacity that Coach Wallace instilled in us, I think that’s what, at the end of the day, is gonna ultimately come to fruition.”
A part of a coach’s job is not only to make their players better, but to make them better people as they continue to move on in life. For Craig, he believes his skills will make him a quality player at the next level.
But more importantly, the defensive lineman feels like the man he is today is more equipped for the mental pressures that the NFL brings.
“On the field stuff aside, just everything they teach you about how to handle adversity, dealing with hard things and not trying to cut corners, all that stuff I tried to carry with me to the process leading up to today,” Craig said at his pro day. “Just knowing that the results aren’t going to happen overnight, knowing that you’re always working towards something bigger.”
And that success happens for a reason. From what Schulte has heard from those former Hawkeyes currently in the league, Ferentz runs a pro-like style of practice that translates well, and it’s a direct correlation to those who have succeeded in their post-collegiate careers.
“It starts with top Coach Ferentz and Coach Parker, just the way that they go about business every day. Everything here is pretty much like something in the pros, from what I’ve heard at least. So every day is kind of like anything in and of itself. They’ve just helped me in that aspect every single day.”
All four players have worked their whole lives just to have the chance to play football at the highest level. It doesn’t matter which team they go to or where they’ll be living, all that matters is that they get that chance. Whether it’s with a draft pick or free agent signing – anything will do if it means another competition to embrace.
“I’ll go anywhere in the NFL, whoever takes me,” Schulte said. “I’m just really trying to be grateful and take advantage of an opportunity.”