Des Moines Register
IOWA CITY — Noah Shannon's playing career is one step closer to being resurrected, perhaps just in time to give Iowa football a huge late-season boost.
The Hawkeyes' sixth-year defensive tackle has been cleared to practice by the NCAA after previously being handed a career-ending suspension related to sports gambling, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz announced at Tuesday's press conference. Shannon isn't fully reinstated, but this is one step closer to him returning to the field.
"Noah Shannon has been cleared to practice," Ferentz said. "Not sure what we'll learn or when we'll learn what his status moving forward is going to be. But at least we've got him on the field. He's back on the roster and able to be part of the football team as a player and not just a guy kind of helping out a little bit."
Shannon was among the several Iowa and Iowa State athletes who were suspended after the state's sports-betting probe uncovered they had bet on other sports at their respective schools. Ferentz announced Shannon's career-ending suspension on Aug. 23 and later confirmed Iowa's denied appeal on Sept. 12.
Shannon's Hawkeyes athletics bio page had already been transitioned from active player to student assistant. No return to the field seemed possible until the NCAA's Committee on Athlete Reinstatement announced last week it was considering a penalty reduction for those caught betting on their own school (but not their own team).
Among the draft concepts under consideration for athletes who place bets not involving their team:
Shannon would be in the first category.
The initial announcement said the reinstatement committee will complete its review by mid-October and a Council Coordination Committee would vote by late October. "The guidelines could potentially be applied retroactively," the NCAA said in the statement.
That would set Shannon up to potentially be available for the Hawkeyes' games on Nov. 4 vs. Northwestern at Wrigley Field, Nov. 11 vs. Rutgers, Nov. 18 vs. Illinois, Nov. 24 at Nebraska and any conference championship or bowl game that followed.
"He’s missed a lot of time," Ferentz said, "but he’s got a great attitude. He was working through an injury anyway, so he probably couldn’t have played physically until a couple weeks ago. Hasn’t been in pads in quite a while, so we’ll just see. I don’t even know when the (reinstatement) decision is going to be made, so at least we’ll have ample time to get him ready hopefully."
While Shannon's potential return would help Iowa's defensive line that — until Saturday against Purdue — had generated minimal pass rush and disruption, this positive update should be a mental boost felt all the way through the program.
Ferentz has emphasized Shannon's good standing with his teammates at every turn when discussing this topic over the last few months. The fact Shannon could salvage something from his final collegiate season didn't feel possible only a few short weeks ago.
"We'll keep our fingers crossed," Ferentz said.
The Shannon update wasn't the only noteworthy item for Tuesday's press conference. Here is what else stood out.
Kirk Ferentz on wide receiver Kaleb Brown, who missed the Purdue game because of "personal reasons"
"He was back at practice (Monday) and has had two good days," Ferentz said. "It was a personal matter, and personal is personal. Not public, it’s personal. Opposite of public."
Kirk Ferentz on Iowa's remaining lingering injuries.
Several new faces showed up on Saturday's availability report.
Ferentz was somewhat optimistic offensive lineman Nick DeJong and tight end Addison Ostrenga would return Saturday against Wisconsin.
"I think they both have a chance," Ferentz said, "but we’ll let the week play out and see what it looks like."
However, running back Jaziun Patterson and reserve cornerback Deshaun Lee both look to be a no-go for Saturday.
"Don’t expect Jaz to be back," Ferentz said. "Deshaun Lee, I don’t see him coming back right now. We’ll see how that goes moving forward."
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.