The Iowa State football program appeared to be in a world of trouble ahead of the 2023 football season, and at the center of the mess was then-starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers.
After starting 12 games for the Cyclones and throwing for over 3,000 yards in 2022, Dekkers was setting up to be a player to watch in the Big 12 and had ISU looking like a good bet for a dark horse Big 12 title candidate.
The only issue is Dekkers probably would’ve bet you on that.
Just before the start of the 2023 season, Dekkers was accused of placing bets on Iowa State sports—26 of them to be exact—including a game against Oklahoma State in 2021.
Then, to make matters worse, a video of him appearing to gamble on his team in a bar setting surfaced. The handshake bet wasn’t even the worst part—it was the end of the video in which you can hear him tell the person recording, “Save it, but don’t post it because it’s technically illegal.”
Needless to say, Dekkers career at Iowa State was done at that point. However, his days of playing football were not behind him, as he got back on the field with the Iowa Western Reivers in 2024, throwing for 3,825 yards and 32 touchdowns on the way to an 11-2 season.
With Dekkers at quarterback, the Reivers navigated to a 10-1 record in their regular season, with their only losses coming to Hutchinson CC in the regular season (L, 38-37) and the NJCAA National Championship (L, 28-23).
On Monday, Dekkers made headlines again, this time for “betting on himself,” as On3 so eloquently put it.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Dekkers plans to end the 2025 NFL Draft out of the JUCO ranks after he lost NCAA eligibility with the betting scandal.
With Dekkers back in the gambling business, this bet would pay major dividends. There hasn’t been a player selected directly from a Junior College in years, and only 10-15 players with JUCO experience are taken on average. The odds are long, but that hasn’t stopped him before!
