A season filled with injuries to key Iowa Football players rose another level Wednesday. Star cornerback and punt returner, Cooper DeJean, suffered a lower leg injury. A UI press release stated the junior would “will miss the remainder of the 2023 football season,” according to coach Kirk Ferentz.

“This is truly heartbreaking for Cooper,” Ferentz said. “He has played extremely well and is a real playmaker on our team. We will all support Cooper during his recovery, which will continue into the new year.”

DeJean joins starting quarterback Cade McNamara, and the team’s top two tight ends, Luke Lachey and Erick All Jr., in suffering a season-ending injury.

“This has been a season filled with challenges for our team. I am proud of how our players have responded with tremendous grit and determination. We are focused on Saturday,” Ferentz said.

A strong case can be made for DeJean being the Hawkeyes’ most valuable player this season. He’s certainly their most dangerous dude, whether a team is throwing the ball his way or if he’s settling under a punt.

The Odebolt, Iowa product has played over 400 snaps in coverage this season without giving up a touchdown, according to UI. He leads the Hawkeyes in pass break-ups (5), is second in interceptions (2) and seventh in tackles (41) this season.

On special teams, DeJean had a 70-yard game-deciding touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Michigan State. He leads the Big Ten and ranks 13th nationally with an 11.5 punt return average and he is second nationally in punt return touchdowns. He had one controversially taken away against Minnesota.

DeJean also is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Many of the early NFL Draft mocks see him as a first-round pick in 2024.

DeShaun Lee, a redshirt freshman, is listed as DeJean’s backup on this week’s depth chart ahead of Saturday’s senior day game against Illinois. Jermari Harris is the other No. 1 cornerback with Deavin Hilson behind him on the latest two-deep. It’s a position with limited experience behind DeJean and Harris.

Lee (5-10, 187) started the first two games of this season with Harris out of the lineup. He played well, racking up 15.0 tackles (8 solo) with two passes defended.

Sixth-year receiver Nico Ragaini has experience returning punts from back in ’19 and ’20. We didn’t see much during Kids Day practice when he came to punt returning as DeJean was clearly the guy.

It’s an assignment usually best suited for defensive backs and receivers. Candidates on the roster beyond Ragaini include Kaleb Brown, Seth Anderson, Alec Wick and Kaden Wetjen, to name a few.

The Hawkeyes need one win in their final two regular-season contests to clinch the Big Ten West outright. It would put them in the Big Ten Championship for the second time in three years. Now, they must take on the task without their best player.