“It was no surprise to any of us to see those guys perform at the level that they did,” Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said. “That’s because we’ve seen what they’re doing at practice on a regular basis, their preparation and their habits. It’s one thing to say that you’re built for it, but you have to earn that daily. Both Hoss and Jon Jon are guys that have earned that daily in their preparation.”
Starting at the nickel corner position, Deasfernandes recorded a career-high seven tackles while helping Northwestern hold Penn State to just 48 rushing yards. Back at safety, Stevens finished with five tackles, along with the first two pass breakups of his career. He became the first Wildcat underclassman to record at least two pass breakups in a conference game since Cameron Mitchell in 2022.
Stevens credited his and Deasfernandes’ ability to step up when their number is called to their commitment to constantly staying ready.
“Like we always say, that ‘next man up’ mentality,” Stevens said. “In meetings, making sure you’re watching everybody’s plays. In practice, you’re always locked in, even if you’re on the sideline. You never know when you could be put in the game. I learned that last year, so I’m always ready when my number’s called.”
In his previous stops at Central Michigan and Iowa, Deasfernandes has played in-game snaps as a safety and boundary cornerback. When he arrived at Northwestern, though, Defensive Backs Coach LaMarcus Hicks had no doubt that Deasfernandes had the talent to play as a slot corner.
Over the summer, Nickels Coach Jeff Copp taught Deasfernandes through the nickel star position in the Wildcats’ scheme just in case they needed somebody to step up in the spot.
“He’s a bigger body. He has corner skill. That’s what we like at that position,” Hicks said. “”We like someone with corner cover skills but also the physicality to fit the box, fit the run as a safety, and we knew right away that he would be the guy because he has that skillset.”
Deasfernandes has turned to Turner, who has started over 20 games at nickel for Northwestern , for advice. After each defensive series against the Nittany Lions, Turner continued to give Deasfernandes pointers.
But for Deasfernandes, each snap just goes back to using his instincts as a football player.
“It’s just second nature,” Deasfernandes said. “My biggest shock was just adjusting to the gameplan, how we do things here. Everybody has a general understanding of how you play a certain position, how we play within this defense.”
