Brenden Deasfernandes was a late addition to the weekend after camping with the Hawkeyes, according to Hawkeye Report. Iowa decided to offer Deasfernandes and he quickly accepted.
Hailing from Belleville, MI (same high school as Hawkeye safety Kaevon Merriweather), he is the latest in a long line of Michigan-area defensive backs who came from nowhere to commit to Iowa. Like, literally nowhere, this kid has offers from Davenport U, Northwood, and SE Missouri State. That’s it.
But when Phil Parker likes a kid enough to offer, that’s all I need to know.
He’s classically undersized at 6’0”, 165 lbs, but shows lockdown ability at corner. He also demonstrates good open field tackling ability and quick instincts. He has versatility with time at safety and both sides of the field at corner. Ball skills? Honestly unclear since a lot of his highlights are of QBs not throwing the ball his direction.
With the appearance as a project - D.J. Johnson came to Iowa with similar measurables - he’ll probably redshirt 2020. With Michael Ojemudia set to depart, at least one starting corner spot will open then. If Matt Hankins is great and leaves for the NFL Draft, get ready for the Thunderdome for starting corner spots.
But Phil clearly sees something in Deasfernandes. Since Parker didn’t even wait until November to offer him, he might just take Iowa City by storm.