Iowa FB notebook: Noah Shannon back practicing; injury report; Kaleb Brown returns
By John Bohnenkamp
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Noah Shannon is back practicing with the Iowa football team.
When he’ll be ready to play, or if he’ll be able to play, remains uncertain.
Shannon, who came back for his sixth and final season of eligibility, was originally suspended for the season by the NCAA for wagering on a sporting event involving another Iowa team. He appealed that decision, but the appeal was rejected in September.
The NCAA’s Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, though, is finalizing recommendations for new rules on gambling, with a vote expected by the end of the month. They are considering a penalty structure that would remove loss of competition for the first offense, regardless of the dollar value in the wager, and only consider the loss of a season of eligibility for the third offense.
Shannon, a defensive lineman, has been working with the Hawkeyes as a student assistant since his suspension.
“I don’t know what we’ll learn or when we’ll learn his status moving forward,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said on Tuesday. “But at least we have him on the field now. He’s back on the roster and able to be part of the team as a football player instead of a guy helping out a little bit. So that’s positive, and we’ll keep our fingers crossed as we move forward.”
If Shannon is cleared to play, that doesn’t mean he’ll be playing in a game right away, Ferentz said.
Asked how long it would take Shannon to get ready, Ferentz said, “I really don’t know. We’ve never been in this situation. He missed a lot of time. He has a great attitude. He’s been around and was working through an injury — he probably couldn’t play physically until a couple of weeks ago. Hasn’t been in pads in quite a while now.
“So we’ll see. But I don’t know even when the decision is going to be made so at least we have ample time to get him ready, hopefully.”
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INJURY REPORT: Ferentz doesn’t expect injured running back Jaziun Patterson or cornerback Deshaun Lee back this week.
“We’ll see how that goes as we move forward,” Ferentz said.
Ferentz said offensive lineman Nick DeJong and tight end Addison Ostrenga could return from their injuries this week.
“I think they both have a chance, but we’ll let the week play out see what it looks like,” he said.
Ferentz said running back Kaleb Johnson, who returned from an ankle injury to rush for 134 yards against Purdue, didn’t show any ill effects from the injury.
“He seems fine,” Ferentz said. “He was great at practice. I think he’s doing well.”
Ferentz, whose voice was hoarse during his press conference, didn’t mention himself on the injury list.
“I feel fine,” he said. “I just sound like crap. So I apologize. I feel fine.”
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BROWN BACK: Ferentz said wide receiver Kaleb Brown had returned to practice after not playing in last Saturday’s game for what the coach called, “a personal matter.”
“He’s back at practice yesterday and has had two good days,” Ferentz said.
Asked if Brown’s absence was for discipline reasons, Ferentz replied, “No, I would say it was a personal matter.”
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SATURDAY’S GAME: Iowa plays at Wisconsin on Saturday in a game that could have significant impact on the Big Ten’s West Division.
Wisconsin leads the division with a 2-0 Big Ten record, with Iowa in second at 2-1.
Ferentz, though, isn’t thinking about title chases just yet.
“It’s a big game,” he said. “They have a good team. We’re trying to become a good team. To worry about anything besides that, it’s a conference game. Conference games are different than non-league games. They all count in the end. But conference games are important.
“It’s about where it’s at, and any worry about rankings and pennant races, all that stuff, that in my mind comes in November. Right now we’re just trying to move forward here and see if we can find a way to win.”