Prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, former Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean revealed that NFL teams asked if he thought he could beat fellow Iowa student and basketball superstar Caitlin Clark in a one-on-one. DeJean admitted that he feels he could and while far more people were angry at NFL teams for asking that than DeJean admitting it, there was one person who hadn’t weight in: Caitlin Clark herself.
Appearing on Up & Adams, DeJean – now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles – set the record straight, revealing that Clark texted him back after the whole controversy, saying that she doesn’t think that he could beat one-on-one.
“Caitlin is a special player. She’s done so much for women’s basketball and the University of Iowa in general. So I have nothing but respect for her. She took a shot back at me after she texted me, saying that she doesn’t think that I could beat her. I let her say that… I think it’d be fun though,” DeJean said.
Kay Adams attempted to poke the bear a little bit, telling DeJean that she doesn’t think he’d beat Clark. But DeJean doubled down, asserting that he probably could and pointed out how good he was as a high school basketball player before switching to football in college.
It remains a contentious topic but one that’s probably not worth investigating farther than simply talking about it.
A real life one-on-one between DeJean and Clark wouldn’t benefit either of them as they embark on their respective pro journeys.