DJK Drama, Kinnick Trophy, Big Cuz

Where there's DJK, there's drama. On Tuesday, several outlets were reporting that Derrell Johnson-Koulianos signed a free agent deal with the Eagles. Even hawkeyesports.com reported that he had signed. But according to the man himself, "It's just a sick joke." Yup, that's what DJK told me when I called him around 9:30pm. He said he hasn't signed with anyone, but he also said that if I called back tomorrow (Wednesday), he would have some news for me. We'll see, I guess.

I really hope DJK gets a chance, and I'm sure he will. I wish the Bears would sign him. It's really not a risk to pick him up, considering he'll be making chump change for his first contract. He has some up side. After all, the guy he supplanted as the all-time leading receiver in Iowa history had a pretty good NFL career of his own.

11 Hawkeyes from last years team are now on NFL rosters, and all 11 defensive starters in 2008 have been on an NFL roster at one time or another. Those are powerful numbers.

We'll find out, on Friday, what kind of trophy the Hawks and Huskers will be playing for. In an invitation the U of I sent out to the media, the word "hero" was defined, leading some to believe Nile Kinnick could be tied into the trophy. Kinnick went to high school in Nebraska, but no one thinks of him as a Nebraskan. He played at Iowa, won the Heisman Trophy at Iowa, and the stadium is named after him. There's no way Nebraska would agree to a Nile Kinnick trophy, in my opinion. We'll find out when Gary Barta and Tom Osborne unveil the plans over omelets and sausage biscuits on Friday.

I think the boys from ADM were happier when they left Principal Park after a loss, than Martensdale-St. Mary's after Monday's walk-off win. ADM hadn't been to state since 1983. It was truly a dream come true for the players.

Congrats to my big cousin, Ben Peters, who shot the low round of the day at the Iowa Amateur at Glen Oaks CC, Tuesday. He shot 4-under-par. Ben played multiple times in the Quad-City Classic (before it was called the John Deere Classic). One year my parents took me out of school to follow him around the course. My hope was that he would get a huge check and give me some of the money. That's the kind of kid I was.