DeShields brothers on opposite sides of Akron-Kent State NCAA college football rivalry
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This will be a rare moment in Dru DeShields’ young life.
The Kent State quarterback was always a big fan of any team his older brother TJ was a part of. In the Nov. 11 Wagon Wheel game at Akron, DeShields hopes he can beat that team.
TJ DeShields serves as an offensive analyst for quarterbacks with the Zips. Like Dru, he played quarterback at West Branch High School before college stops at Akron, Sul Ross State and Mount Union.
“I’ve never played against my brother,” Dru DeShields said. “I played against him in the backyard, stuff like that, but not really in a real, real game. It will be cool.”
TJ DeShields played in five games during his three seasons at Akron. He transferred to NCAA Division II Sull Ross State in Texas, where he threw 550 yards and seven touchdowns in a game in 2022.
A two-year run at Mount Union ended with DeShields appearing in the 2024 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. He opened last season as a backup but became the starter in the playoffs as an injury replacement.
“I went to all of his playoff games,” Dru DeShields said. “He’s really a huge inspiration to me. … He’s very smart in game sense, reading defenses and everything. I think he really helped me with that.”
TJ DeShields has watched his younger brother overcome three ACL injuries to become a Division I starting quarterback. The two are very close and supportive of each other,
Kent State coach Mark Carney was reminded of it before the Flashes and Akron played weekday games last week.
“[Dru] said he texted his brother, ‘Hey, great luck tonight,'” Carney said. “And his brother called him back and said, ‘Hey, this is the last time we’ll talk all week.’
“It’s got to be a fun dynmaic to have a son on either side of this rivalry and a unqiue situation for the DeShields.”
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Dru and TJ DeShields on opposite sides of Akron-Kent State rivalry
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