By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Whether a case of forgive and forget, or that Noah Fant simply feels that being in Iowa City is in his best interest right now, it’s just nice that he still has a connection to the Iowa football program.

It’s just nice that Fant still feels welcome and comfortable around the Iowa players, and especially around the Iowa coaches, considering how his junior season unfolded, and considering how his career ended so abruptly.

Fant’s decision in early December to skip the Outback Bowl in order to prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft hardly came as a surprise because it seemed that his relationship with the Iowa coaches was strained at the time due to Fant having played a reduced role at tight end this past season.

Fant began the 2018 season as one, if not the most celebrated tight end in college football, but then ended the season as Iowa’s second option at tight end behind emerging star T.J. Hockenson.

Fant was often used as a decoy, or not used at all, this past season despite having 11 touchdowns receptions as a sophomore in 2017.

The amount of time that Fant was used as a decoy or that he spent on the sideline became a hot topic that wouldn’t go away after his older brother complained about it on social media.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t help matters, either, when he referred to Fant as being more of a specialist.

Fant defended his brother’s right to have his own opinion, but he also avoided saying anything negative about the Iowa coaches, or about his reduced role in the offense.

There were times when it seemed that Fant was just waiting for the regular-season to end so he could get out of here ASAP. He never said anything to suggest that, but it just felt that way, especially after his brother had lashed out publicly.

Fant declared for the 2019 NFL Draft barely a week after the end of the regular season and said that he also planned to skip the Outback Bowl.

It seemed that both sides were cutting ties and moving on, and I remember thinking what a shame that it had to end that way.

One of the greatest tight ends in program history was gone and it sure seemed that Iowa wanted him also to be forgotten.

Fant didn’t win any awards at the team’s annual awards banquet, while Hockenson was named co-most valuable player, along with defensive back Amani Hooker. Hockenson was also the recipient of a team hustle award on offense.

I remember thinking that it seemed petty and vindictive for Iowa to act as if Fant didn’t even play last season, considering that he had 519 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches during the regular season.

But you also could argue that Fant quit on the team by skipping the bowl game, and that the Iowa coaches were right to sever ties. 

So I just assumed that the old saying ‘once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye’ didn’t apply to Fant.

But I’m glad to say that my assumption was wrong.

I’m glad to say that Noah Fant is back in Iowa City with his former teammates and coaches preparing for the 2019 NFL Draft where he could be picked as high as the first round.

The Omaha, Neb., native was part of a group of former Iowa players who participated in the team’s annual Pro Day event on Monday.

Fant skipped most of the drills and tests after having already helped his cause at the NFL Combine in February.

He used Pro Day mostly as a chance to get better acquainted with NFL scouts.

“It was a chance to really talk to all the guys that I’ve already met at the combine and keep building those relationships with them, which is really nice to do,” Fant said Monday. “I mean, obviously, come out and show what I can do still and show my abilities and my strengths."

Fant returned to Iowa City this past Friday after having trained in California.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Fant said of being back in Iowa City. “I fit right back in and it was good seeing all the guys. And this will probably be my home base for the next month or so, taking in team visits and stuff like that.

“I had a good time training in California, though. It was a lot of fun out there and it was good to kind of eliminate all the distractions and get out there and really focus on what I was trying to do.”

There are worse places to be than Iowa City while preparing for the NFL Draft.

Fant is back in the environment and around the people that helped to make him a star at Iowa.

He is back with the same players and coaches who challenged and supported him throughout his college career.

And he's back in an environment that has served as a springboard to the NFL for multiple Iowa players.

Fant’s junior season might have had some rocky moments, but the good still outweighs the bad where he is concerned.

Fant was good to the Iowa football program and the Iowa football program was good to him. Both sides made each other better.

The University of Iowa will always be where Fant attended college and where he went from being a teenager to a young man who now has a chance to change the course of his life because of football.

There is a chance that Fant and Hockenson both could be selected in the first round of the draft, and that is a tribute to them, but also to the Iowa coaches.

Hockenson’s sudden rise to stardom this past season, which saw him win the John Mackey Award as the nation's top collegiate tight end, probably had something to do with Fant’s reduced role in the offense.

But Fant never has given any indication that he holds a grudge against Hockenson. They both seem to have a mutual respect and admiration for each other.

“It’s always been competition and we both want the best for each other,” Fant said. “So every time we step on the field we’re trying to prove who’s the best.

“But it’s all been fun, though, and it’s all been a good time and friendly competition.”

The Iowa coaches deserve praise for not holding a grudge against Fant and for embracing his return to campus.

Fant probably wouldn’t have decided to stay in Iowa City for the next month if there still were ongoing tensions.

A college football team is similar to a big family in that sometimes you have squabbles and disagreements that can cause feelings to be hurt.

But you ultimately rise above the conflict and trust the people that have meant so much to you.

And it seems that Noah Fant is doing just that.