Drew Ott's direction remains in limbo

IOWA CITY — There was nothing definitive Wednesday on Iowa defensive lineman Drew Ott's appeal to the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver and a fifth year of eligibility.

Iowa defensive line coach Reese Morgan offered a few new details.

— Morgan said Ott's waiver has been 'denied several times.' He has an appeal in with the NCAA and Ott/Iowa are awaiting word on that. (For point of reference, Iowa has filed the appeals on Ott's behalf.)

— Ott hasn't been able to work with the team this spring. He is, of course, healing from the elbow and knee ligament surgeries that sidelined him in 2015, but because of his status, Iowa has had to treat him as a graduate. He can still work out at the Hansen Performance Center, but he's not allowed to participate in team activities.

— Morgan expressed frustration with the lack of communication from the NCAA during this process. According to a source, the NCAA was supposed to contact Ott last week and did not.

'He has an appeal in again and the process just seems to be extremely frustrating, because no one from the NCAA has talked to anybody in this building about it or him, which seems to be unusual,' Morgan said.

Video: Reese Morgan on Drew Ott

Ott competed in six games as a true senior last fall for Iowa and suffered substantial injuries in two of them. In November, Ott had Tommy John surgery on his elbow to fix ligaments and had an ACL and meniscus repairs to his right knee.

Ott exceeded official NCAA requirements for a waiver by playing in more than 30 percent of Iowa's 13 regular-season games (counting the Big Ten championship). Iowa appealed on Ott's behalf. The Big Ten's six-member academics and eligibility subcommittee agreed in late February to send Ott's case to the NCAA.

Based on news accounts, the majority of the NCAA decisions on medical waivers are handed out in late March.

'It comes under a different set of review because it's beyond the 30 percent,' Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta told The Gazette in early March. 'But there have been others across the country who have achieved this, which is one of the reasons we continue to be optimistic until there are no more appeals.

'The decision-making body is the NCAA — not the Big Ten — when it goes over the 30 percent. Really, the Big Ten makes a recommendation for the NCAA to hear it, and it's passed that hurdle. Now the decision is the NCAA's whether or not to grant it.'

The NFL draft begins April 28. Last week, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz acknowledged the clock is ticking on this. Ott is in a good situation — win the appeal and play a fifth season with the Hawkeyes (Ferentz said he expected Ott to be ready to play by August) or enter the draft and have a chance to play, and get paid by, the NFL.

Barta said the NCAA has been helpful in talking precedent and how different cases have been approved. The 30 percent has been the sticking point. It's added an extra layer of process.

Ott has had two meetings with NFL personnel. The NCAA granted him a waiver to attend the combine in February. Ott also met with scouts during Iowa's pro day last Monday.

'I've worked through it, I've been dealing with it for a couple months now,' Ott told reporters at the combine. 'I'm not too worked up about it. I'll be fine either way.'

Still, it is a wait and with that comes uncertainty.

'It's hard and you feel for him, because he just wants to know,' Morgan said. 'He just wants to know, can I get an agent? Can I continue to play? What am I able to do?'

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com