Newton’s Caden Klein Claims First Cooper DeJean Trophy

The inaugural Cooper DeJean Trophy was awarded to Newton High School senior Caden Klein Sunday night.

Klein was honored with the award named for the former Iowa high school football star who is now a standout for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. DeJean led OABCIG to back-to-back Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football Playoff championships before an All-American career with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

And the winner of the inaugural DeJean Trophy for player of the year is…..

Caden Klein - Newton High School@caden_klein10 @NewtonCardsFB @scottreister @CRGazetteSports @DMRsports @MurphyKeith @ReinaGarciaTV pic.twitter.com/T2SYjXh5aX
— Iowa Football Coaches Assocation (@IFBCA) April 13, 2026

Along with Klein, Bishop Garrigan’s Tate Foertsch, Kuemper Catholic’s Brock Badding, Reece Rettig from Iowa City Liberty, Austin Waldera of Nevada, Korben Michels of Saint Ansgar and Grundy Center's Judd Jirovsky were finalists for the award.

The Iowa Football Coaches Association presented the award. The seven finalists were all named player of the year for their respective classifications this past fall.

Here is more information on each of the seven players nominated for the inaugural Cooper DeJean Trophy.

Cooper DeJean Trophy Finalists

Caden Klein, Newton

Klein led the Cardinals to a 10-2 record and an appearance in the Class 4A state football semifinals. A Northern Iowa football commit, Klein completed 84 of 159 passes for 1,835 yards with 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions, giving him a quarterback rating of over 188.

On the ground, Klein ran 106 times for 940 yards, scoring 21 touchdowns. He was also a stalwart on the Newton defense, recording 46.5 tackles with 45 solo stops, four for loss and two sacks. He forced two fumbles and recovered one.

Tate Foertsch, Bishop Garrigan

Foertsch picked up his second eight-player state football championship as a two-way starter for the Golden Bears this past season, adding to the crown he won as a sophomore. Foertsch lost just two games as a starter in three years.

He completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,333 yards with 25 touchdowns and just one interception on 111 attempts. On the ground, Foertsch rushed 144 times for 1,162 yards, scoring 22 touchdowns. He also made 45.5 tackles with three for loss, picking off 10 passes - two of which he returned for scores.

Brock Badding, Kuemper Catholic

Badding and the Knights went a perfect 13-0 this past fall, winning the Class 2A state championship. The only player in Iowa to surpass 3,000 yards in the air, Badding completed 214 of 313 for 3,079 yards, throwing 37 touchdowns.

He also added four rushing scores. In the state semifinals, he completed 35 of 36 for 388 yards with six touchdowns.

Reece Rettig, Iowa City Liberty

Rettig took the Lightning to the Class 5A state championship game for the first time in program history. He concluded his high school career by completing 239 of 335 passes for 2,465 yards with 22 touchdowns.

On the ground, Rettig rushed 171 times for a team-high 908 yards and 14 scores, giving him over 3,330 yards of total offense.

Austin Waldera, Nevada

The Cubs won it all in Class 3A, finishing 11-2 as Waldera was at the heart of all of it. The senior rushed 268 times for 1,397 yards with eight touchdowns, catching five more passes for 45 yards.

Waldera was strong on the defensive side of the ball, recording 69.5 tackles with 18.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He recovered a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and also had an interception he returned for another score.

Korben Michels, Saint Ansgar

The Saints finished 12-1, reaching the Class A state finals behind Michels. The senior averaged 13 yards per rush, racking up 1,752 yards and 31 touchdowns on 135 carries. He also caught 21 passes for 357 yards and seven more scores.

Michels anchored the Saint Ansgar defense, making 70.5 tackles with 13.5 for loss and four sacks. He forced four fumbles, recovered two and had an interception. On special teams, Michels had a kickoff return for a score, averaging over 43 yards per touch.

Judd Jirovsky, Grundy Center

Jirovsky ended his high school football career by throwing for 1,536 yards and rushing for 936 with 32 total touchdowns. The future Stanford Cardinal golfer was part of 37 wins over 38 games during his final three seasons with the Spartans, including two state titles.

On defense, Jirovsky had 31 tackles with six interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.