Controversial JUCO Quarterback Declares for NFL Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Jan 6, 2025 4:50 PM ET

After a season spent in the JUCO ranks with the Iowa Western Reivers, former Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers is foregoing a return to an FBS team via the transfer portal and has instead declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.

From 2020 to 2022, Dekkers played football for Iowa State. However, he was dismissed from the team and stripped of his remaining eligibility after placing 26 wagers on ISU athletics, including football, in 2021. Dekkers, along with four current or former ISU and Iowa players, went on to plead guilty to underage gambling.

Upon enrolling at Iowa Western Community College in April of 2024, Dekkers explained why he had to get back into football to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

NEW: Former Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers plans to go from JUCO to the NFL Draft, @PeteThamel reports.

Dekkers lost NCAA eligibility after betting on a 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was the backup quarterback for the Cyclones.https://t.co/rRj56jaz8k pic.twitter.com/KiKDwQ0ClB
— On3 (@On3sports) January 6, 2025

“I decided that going to JUCO was the best route in order to continue to play football and try to get to the next level,” Dekkers told Rittenberg.

“I’ve dedicated and worked my whole life for this sport and my dream. I can’t let one mistake define my whole entire career. That’s not who I am. I can’t quit because something gets hard.”

Last season for the Reivers, Dekkers passed for 3,825 yards, 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He led the team to an 11-2 record in NJCAA.

In 2022, as the Iowa State starter, he passed for 3,044 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The previous two seasons he served as backup to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Dekkers will participate in the Hula Bowl, an annual college football all-star game dating back to 1946.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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