Iowa football: Thank you Noah Fant, you will be missed

Just two days after being awarded First Team All-Big Ten, Noah Fant has decided to forgo his senior season in the Iowa football program and enter the Draft.

In somewhat unsurprising news, junior tight end Noah Fant has decided to leave the Iowa football team and begin preparing for the 2019 NFL Draft. His departure is effective immediately meaning the last regular season game against Nebraska will be the last time we will have seen the athletic tight end play in the black and gold.

Fant’s time in Iowa City has been one of many fond memories and great plays, but unfortunately it was somewhat overshadowed this past season by Fant’s limited playing time and the controversy that ensued. None of this, for the record, instigated by Fant himself.

Despite concerns over how little snaps or targets the Omaha native received, his numbers are still pretty impressive. He had career highs in catches (39) and yards (518) and still brought in seven touchdowns during the season. The 39 catches were second in the conference for tight ends to just his teammate TJ Hockenson and he led the conference in touch downs for tight ends.

He also made quite an impression on the Big Ten Conference as he still reeled in First Team All-Big Ten honors for the season.

It’s a sad day in Hawkeye nation. Seeing Fant come back would have been amazing, but when you have the opportunity to make millions of dollars, you need to jump at that, and jump he did.

In a heart-felt note released today on Fant’s newly active Twitter account, Fant thanked Hawkeye nation and his Iowa football coaches. His full note can be seen below.

In just three seemingly short years, Fant made quite the impression on the Iowa football program. He leaves the program ranked 36th in catches (78), 33rd in yards receiving (1,082) and 4th in touchdowns (19). When narrowed down to just tight ends, he is ranked 1st in the program with touchdowns.

As we said above, Fant leaving for the NFL was expected. He is the number one draft prospect at the tight end position and almost a guaranteed first round draft pick. The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyard has Fant listed as his #16 prospect of 2019 and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has Fant listed as the #11 prospect.

We will obviously be keeping you all posted on Fant’s development as a prospect and keep all Iowa football fans in the loop as he begins his career in the NFL.

Until then though, let’s just remember how awesome Noah Fant has been in his Iowa football career. Thank you Noah Fant for everything. Go crush it in the NFL. We will miss you.