Derrell Johnson-Koulianos Arrested: What It Means for Iowa Football

It’s becoming increasingly likely that the Iowa Hawkeyes will have to make do without the services of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for the upcoming Insight Bowl.

According to The Daily Iowan, Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, waived a preliminary hearing on several drug charges during an appearance at an Iowa courthouse Wednesday morning.

Johnson-Koulianos, 23, was arrested Tuesday night after a search warrant on his apartment reportedly revealed marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs, and more than $3,000 in cash.

He is being charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of keeping a drug house and two counts of unlawful possession of a prescription drug. Johnson-Koulianos’ roommate, Brady Cooper Johnson, 21, for whom the search warrant was originally issued, is also being charged.

Johnson-Koulianos will now be arraigned, although the date of the arraignment has not been set. It is unclear whether Johnson-Koulianos will plead guilty or not guilty.

One thing is for sure: Johnson-Koulianos’ coach, Kirk Ferentz, is not waiting around for the court to make its decision before taking action. Ferentz, who is certainly no stranger to dealing with players who have been arrested on drug charges, issued a statement Tuesday saying he has effectively banned Johnson-Koulianos from the team.

“I am highly disappointed to learn of the charges,” Ferentz said. “[Johnson-Koulianos] has been suspended from all team activities.”

That sounds like a man who has no intention of letting his star receiver play against Missouri Dec. 28 in Tempe, Ariz.

Johnson-Koulianos’ absence would no doubt be a huge blow to the Iowa offense. Not only is he Iowa’s second-leading receiver this season behind Marvin McNutt, but Johnson-Koulianos leads the team in touchdown receptions (10) and is a legitimate deep threat for quarterback Ricky Stanzi.

The Hawkeyes, who rank 15^th nationally (317 yards/game) in total defense, are plenty capable of winning without Johnson-Koulianos, who caught 46 passes for 745 yards, but they’ll have to lean more on running back Adam Robinson, the Big Ten’s fourth-leading rusher.

Other than McNutt, senior Allen Reiser is the only other receiver on the roster who has caught more than 25 passes this season, so Robinson may be the key to Iowa’s offensive success against Missouri, which ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense at 15.2 points per game.