Iowa State football: Why Jevohn Miller won’t get a medical redshirt
By Brian Spaen
Iowa State is going to try and get a medical redshirt for Jevohn Miller, but there’s multiple reasons why the linebacker will just hear a big, fat sorry from the NCAA.
Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register confirmed that head coach Paul Rhoads was hoping to get another year out of Miller after MRI results confirmed that Iowa State’s leading tackler would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads said they're seeking a medical redshirt for Jevohn Miller. Isn't confident they'll get it. #Cyclones
— Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) November 5, 2014
Rhoads shouldn’t be confident that they’ll get help from the NCAA, because it’s simply not going to happen. Here are the requirements in order to receive a medical hardship waiver, according to Athletic Scholarships. The injury:
- Must happen in the senior year of high school or during their four years at the university.
- Has to force the player to be unable to compete for the rest of the year.
- Must happen prior to the second half of the season.
- Happens prior to the athlete completing 30 percent of the season, or three contests — whichever is greater.
More from Football
- Iowa State football: DeVondrick Nealy, Tad Ecby leave the program
- National Signing Day 2015: Iowa State picks up stealth RB from California
- Iowa State football: 2015 National Signing Day tracker
- Iowa State football recruiting: Cyclones gain 3-star Kansas OT commitment
- Iowa State football recruiting: Cyclones pick up Florida defensive tackle
As you can see, Miller’s injury passes the first two requirements, but fails the second two. Since the injury happened in the eighth game of the season, we are well into the second half. Also, Miller has played in every game this season and is usually out on the field.
There are always exceptions, but the best chance for Miller to receive one of these would have been to go down against Texas. It’s close enough to the halfway point of the season that the NCAA may have considered dropping the last requirement. Still, it would have been a longshot then.
Sadly, Miller’s career at Iowa State more than likely comes to an unfortunate conclusion. He finished his senior year with 68 total tackles, the most on the 2014 squad after eight games.