Kirk Ferentz provides update on Noah Shannon's availability

The Iowa Hawkeyes are close to seeing the return of one of the vital defensive starters from last year’s team. Defensive lineman Noah Shannon could potentially soon be reinstated by the NCAA after being suspended for violating the institution’s gambling-related legislation.

Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz is pleased about the possibility of his 27-game defensive line starter’s return to the field. Recently, the Iowa headman provided an update on how he has looked at practice and when fans might see Shannon back in action.

“He looks good in pads, and he practices well. That hasn’t changed. He’s got fresh legs, too,” said Frentez. “But we’re just waiting on the NCAA. Hopefully they’ll do the right thing. How soon that’s going to be, if it’s one call, two calls, I don’t know. It’s okay. Time’s ticking. He’s getting older. All of us are getting older. Hopefully, it’s sooner than later they make a decision. I say it jokingly; it’s really not funny at all. We’ll see. I don’t know. I don’t have a firm date on what’s going to happen or when.

Shannon will want to make his return in time for a big November matchup as the Hawkeyes will travel to Chicago to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in the home of the Chicago Cubs — Wrigley Field. Ferentz, along with the rest of Hawkeye nation, would not mind Shannon returning on such a stage but he also would love it even more if he had his star defensive lineman back sooner than that..

“If they call tomorrow, that would be great. To me, they probably could have done it in June. That’s my, looking at this whole thing. But that’s discussion for a different day, too. If they wanted to call tomorrow, it would be outstanding. We’ll have him out there Saturday if they do. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t know when it’s going to happen.”

As Ferentz highlighted, there is no definitive timetable for Shannon’s return. Still, all signs point to the Iowa defensive lineman returning sometime later this season. Currently, Iowa sits at 6-1 in the regular season, with their lone loss coming in a 31-0 shutout loss in late September against Penn State. Getting Shannon back would only help bolster the Iowa defense as the Hawkeyes, who currently sit in first place in the west division, look to punch their ticket to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, IN, on Dec. 2.