Noah Fant to skip senior season, enter NFL Draft
As the Hawkeyes await their bowl destination, tight end Noah Fant announced he would enter the 2019 NFL Draft.
Iowa tight end Noah Fant celebrates as he crosses the goal line in the first quarter of a football game against Northern Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Satruday, Sep. 15, 2018. At halftime, the Hakeyes led the Panthers 21-0. (David Harmantas/The Daily Iowan)
November 30, 2018
Iowa tight end Noah Fant will not play his senior season in a Hawkeye uniform and will enter the 2019 NFL Draft, Fant tweeted Friday.
“Since the very first time I put on football pads as a child, it has been my dream to play in the NFL,” Fant tweeted. “I am very excited for what the future holds and extremely humbled by the amazing opportunity in front of me. I will always bleed the black and gold and forever be a Hawkeye.”
Thank you Hawkeye Nation!!!! It truly has been my pleasure!!!! #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/Ee1y1uuMZN
— Noah Fant (@nrfant) November 30, 2018
In his tweet, Fant wrote that he would forgo the rest of his eligibility, which means he would miss the Hawkeyes’ bowl game that will be announced Dec. 2.
Fant finished the 2018 season with first-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference’s coaches after leading Iowa with 7 receiving touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 519 yards. He is widely regarded as one of the best tight end prospects for the 2019 draft.
CBS Sports listed Fant as the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 1 at his position, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranked him as the No. 1 tight end on his Big Board.
Fant, who was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award that is given to the nation’s top tight end, concluded his college career with 19 touchdown catches, the most by a tight end in Iowa history and the third-most by a tight end in Big Ten history.
In his career, the Omaha native hauled in 78 passes for 1,083 yards and 19 scores.
As impressive as Fant’s resume is, his 2018 season was marred by off-the-field issues when family members took to Twitter to give their takes on Fant’s usage and snap count.
His usage became a key storyline to the Hawkeye season after Iowa lost three straight games to Penn State, Purdue, and Northwestern.
The 2019 NFL Combine is set to take place in Indianapolis from Feb. 26-March 4, while the NFL Draft will be held April 25-27 in Nashville.
