Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark Apr 2, 2023; Dallas, TX, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after being called for a technical foul during the game against the LSU Lady Tigers in the second half during the final round of the Women’s Final Four NCAA tournament at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
By Chris Novak on

Could Cooper DeJean beat Caitlin Clark in a 1-on-1 challenge? The former Iowa football standout isn’t backing down, even after receiving a text message from the former Hawkeye great.

Clark became a supernova at Iowa over the past few years. She transformed into the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and brought Iowa to back-to-back National Championship games. While they finished as a runner-up in both LSU and South Carolina, there’s no denying her star power or her skills.

DeJean, a top-flight cornerback out of Iowa who the Philadelphia Eagles selected in this year’s NFL Draft, wasn’t shy when he recently suggested he could handle playing Clark 1-on-1. He joined Kay Adams on Up & Adams on Wednesday to discuss the challenge. DeJean revealed that Clark caught wind of it and didn’t back down herself.

Adams let DeJean clear the air after bringing up the challenge and the quote that was going around.

“I was really just answering the question,” DeJean said. “Caitlin’s a special player. She’s done so much for women’s basketball and the University of Iowa in general. I have nothing but respect for her. She took a shot back at me after she texted me and said that she doesn’t think I could beat her,” he added. “I think it would be fun though if we played each other.” Adams then asked if DeJean thinks he could beat her, and the former Hawkeye star said yes.

During the interview, a highlight reel of DeJean’s high school basketball career ran. He seems to think he can get it done, but Clark doesn’t think so!

The sports world had much to say about this Caitlin Clark challenge.

[Up & Adams]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022

View all posts by Chris Novak