Iowa State defensive tackle Demond Tucker won the Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year award last season. File Photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune
Demond Tucker got in shape. He dropped weight. He started leading. This was the summer Iowa State coaches were hoping to get.
Then he got the flu just before camp.
He started vomiting. He couldn’t eat. He became dehydrated.
The flu took him down. Tucker didn’t start practicing until Monday. Now that he’s back, Tucker is trying to ensure nothing else gets the better of him this season.
“At the moment I was upset,” the senior defensive tackle said, “but that type of stuff you can’t have nothing to do with.