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标题：The secret to DeVries' success - University of Iowa defensive lineman Jared DeVries - includes related rankings of the Big Ten Conference - Brief Article
作者：Marc Hansen
期刊名称：The Sporting News
印刷版ISSN：0038-805X
出版年度：1998
卷号：August 17, 1998
出版社：American City Business Journals, Inc.

The secret to DeVries' success - University of Iowa defensive lineman Jared DeVries - includes related rankings of the Big Ten Conference - Brief Article

Marc Hansen

Great college athletes have to come from somewhere. They can't all rise out of the major population centers. So why not small-town America? Why not Aplington, Iowa, population 1,034, a pocket-sized community situated a few miles west of Waterloo with a penchant for producing big-time college athletes?

Casey Wiegmann, who opened camp as the Chicago Bears' starting center, is a graduate of Aplington-Parkersburg High School. But Iowa defensive tackle Jared DeVries, his former high school and college teammate, is the latest and possibly the greatest to date.

Emphasis on "to date." Keep an eye on little brothers Jay, a ninth-grader, and Dusty, a true freshman with the Hawkeyes this year. "Dusty is bigger than I was," Jared says, "but just as fast."

This indeed is a family of thoroughbreds. If it involved a ball, eldest brother Darian did it. He played point guard at Northern Iowa for four years. He competed in the state high school tennis tournament. He was an allstate defensive back. Twice, he was all-conference in baseball.

"It used to be pretty intense at times at home," Jared says with a smile. "I remember knocking down my sister to go up and block a shot." That sister would be Jody, a member of the Northern Iowa volleyball team.

Both little brothers have miles to go before catching up to Jared, a 280-pound senior who already is Iowa's career leader in tackles for loss, tackle-for-loss yardage, sacks and sack yardage. Last season, coaches named him Big Ten defensive lineman of the year.

"The people we played against the last several years haven't seen anybody better," Iowa defensive coordinator Bob Elliott says. "I can't imagine another player being more valuable to his team."

Folks knew DeVries had a chance to be good when he arrived in Iowa City as a 215-pound fullback/defensive end. But not everyone thought he'd be this good.

"When Jared came to Iowa, the biggest thing on his body was his ears," Elliott says. "He was a great athlete, but raw. We moved him to the defensive line and he had to play out of necessity as a redshirt freshman. He was undersized and he struggled to stay alive, but he played very well at times."

He has played so well that an NFL career is all but assured. The Draft Digest, a publication that tracks the NFL draft, ranks DeVries seventh among senior prospects and the No. 2 defensive player, behind Virginia free safety Anthony Poindexter.

"He's always been a good downfield guy, but now he stands his ground when the ball comes right at him," Elliott says. "All the DeVries kids have that great fire. It comes from the mom and dad, two really great people."

Vern and Marge DeVries have sent four children to college on Division I scholarships, with maybe another on deck. How dominant is the DeVries family in the Iowa sports scene? Last winter, Dusty, a 233-pound defensive lineman, was touring the University of Iowa with his parents--the same campus where Jared is an All-American. Bob Elliott was behind the wheel. And on the car radio, Darian was being interviewed after a Northern Iowa basketball game.

About to enter high school, Jay already has crashed the 6-foot barrier, but you'll have to wait a few years to get a detailed report. Jared is a protective big brother. "We don't want to put any pressure on him," he says. "We just want him to have fun and enjoy what he's doing."

If that's the secret to the DeVries' success, let the good times roll. No sense changing the game plan now.