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Iowa Football: Five Players to Watch in Spring Practices

By Dylan Burn

Nov 14, 2015; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz congratulates tight end George Kittle (46) during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa won 40-35. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz congratulates tight end George Kittle (46) during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa won 40-35. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 27, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Desmond King (14) enters the field before the game at Memorial Stadium for the contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. King has been suspended from the first quarter of play due to a team violation. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2015; Lincoln, NE, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Desmond King (14) enters the field before the game at Memorial Stadium for the contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. King has been suspended from the first quarter of play due to a team violation. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1 – Desmond King

King could’ve easily went pro after the season he had last year.

He tied a school record with eight interceptions on the year, he was Iowa’s lockdown corner, and he even returned kicks and punts.  You tack on winning the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive back, and 90% of kids go pro.

This doesn’t seem to be about the money and playing in the NFL for Desmond.  Coming out of Detroit, MI, he was very under-recruited.  He was just a two star cornerback, according to some sites, and made an impact right away.  He’s been a three year starter for Iowa and the fact that he decided to come back for his fourth, shocked me.

How does it get any better for him? Especially on the field.  He was a consensus first team All-American to go along with all of this.  It was about more than football, though.  Desmond King wanted to finish his education and had “unfinished business” in Iowa City.

The Daily Iowan broke the story and it appears there were other factors as well. Yvette Powell, who is King’s mother, had this to say.

"“He didn’t want to leave C.J. like that, “We talked to C.J., and he was happy.” – Powell, Daily Iowan"

This was huge for the Iowa football team.  You get the Jim Thorpe award winner back and you have a senior starting across the field from him as well in Greg Mabin.  King not only adds a lot of experience to the defensive backfield, but a lot of leadership as well.

I bet you’re asking why he is number on this list.  We already know what he’s made of, so why do we need to keep watch for him?

Well, I want to see if he’s gotten any better.  I want to see if he’s gotten any faster.  There was a lot said about King’s top end speed and how it would translate to the NFL.  He wasn’t as fast as a lot of people wanted him to be, so it’ll be interesting to see where he’s made improvements.  We know he’s going to be a good cover guy and he’s going to get his fair share of interceptions, but I’ll be looking to see if he’s gotten quicker, faster.

Next: Hoops: End of Season Takeaways

He doesn’t have a lot to improve upon, but if he tightens up some little things, he will be a first round draft pick about a year from now.

The Hawkeyes will have an open practice in Des Moines on Friday April 8th and their annual spring game will be April 23rd inside Kinnick Stadium.

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