Iowa football notebook: Linderbaum, Moss undecided on whether to declare for NFL Draft

IOWA CITY — Iowa football fans already know Tyler Goodson is pursuing the NFL draft. They’ll have to wait a little longer to figure out what others are doing.

The NFL draft isn’t exactly the first thing Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum wants to talk about.

“What’s in April?” Linderbaum said.

Most mock drafts have Linderbaum projected as a first-round pick, but he hasn’t announced a decision.

“It’s not something I’m focused on right now,” Linderbaum said.

The thought has crossed cornerback Riley Moss’ mind.

“If I was going to give a percentage, I’d probably say above half for leaving,” Moss said.

How far above 50 percent? “I don’t know to be honest with you,” Moss said.

Moss accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, but he can still withdraw his name. If he doesn’t, he’ll for sure be NFL draft-bound.

He’ll talk with his family and meet with head coach Kirk Ferentz before making a decision.

Moss has heard “this and that” when it comes to NFL draft feedback, but the Ferentz meeting will provide him with more specific information.

Iowa already has compiled that information, Ferentz said.

“We'll try to get them good accurate information from people that actually draft,” Ferentz said. “With all due respect to the experts that try to prognosticate, if you go back and track those things, they change a lot from January ’til whenever the draft is.”

Ferentz said there’s “no urgency” to have those meetings considering the large amount of time left for players to decide. He believes many players are “probably well on that path to making up their mind.”

Ticket prices nearing triple-digits in secondary market

Plenty of tickets remain available for the Citrus Bowl.

TicketMaster’s cheapest available tickets after fees cost $78.50 for an end-zone seat, as of midday Thursday. They hit a ceiling at $591.70 for a club-level seat. That includes tickets available directly from the Citrus Bowl and resale tickets.

The cheapest tickets on secondary ticket market StubHub were $85 after estimated fees, with prices steadily rising well into three figures for nicer seats.

The most expensive ticket on StubHub, as of midday Thursday, was $1,266 after fees for one of the exclusive club areas.

Neither platform lists the exact number of tickets that remain on sale.

The secondary market prices are on par for upper-tier, non-New Year’s Six bowl games. The cheapest StubHub ticket, after fees, costs $91 for the Outback Bowl and $72 for the Alamo Bowl.

Merriweather named inaugural winner of Duke Slater Golden Gavel Award

Safety Kaevon Merriweather is the inaugural recipient of the Duke Slater Golden Gavel Award.

The award goes to the Iowa football player who “not only is most cooperative with local media, but exhibits themself with professional integrity in all interactions,” as voted by local media who regularly cover the Hawkeyes, including The Gazette.

Merriweather received more than three-quarters of the votes after the media corps narrowed the field to four finalists.

As a frequent attendee of Iowa’s weekly media availabilities in 2021, the Belleville, Mich., native provided insights on a variety of topics, ranging from racial justice to the reasons for the success among Iowa’s defensive backs.

Comments: (319) 398-8394; john.steppe@thegazette.com