Personnel-wise, Iowa will be at less than 100-percent when it opens the 2018 season.
The football program announced in a press release that two additional players, sophomore offensive tackle Alaric Jackson and junior defensive lineman Cedrick Lattimore (pictured), will each serve one-game suspensions. The punitive measure means both players will miss the opener Sept. 1 against Northern Illinois.
The school noted that the twin suspensions didn’t stem from any type of legal issue, but rather unspecified violations of team rules. “Violation of team policy or rules can include academic performance, attendance, timeliness, behavior, effort, and engagement,” the release stated.
“As a coach, one of the most important decisions is to hold student-athletes accountable,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. “It is painful for the players and the team to impose a suspension, but we have high standards and there is an expectation all players abide by our rules.”
Jackson started all 12 regular season games in his first year as a starter for the Hawkeyes in 2017, but was suspended for the team’s Pinstripe Bowl appearance for, again, unspecified violations of team rules. Lattimore, meanwhile, started six of the 13 games in which he played last season.
The football program had previously announced that starting right tackle Tristan Wirfs (HERE) and starting defensive tackle Brady Reiff (HERE) have also been suspended for the opener. Both of those suspensions stem from alcohol-related incidents, the latter of which involved Reiff mistaking a police car for an Uber ride.
