Bryan Bulaga

[UnoDallas]

Iowa junior OLT Bryan Bulaga did not dress against Iowa State last week, sitting out after having to check into the hospital on Tuesday during the week with illness. His status remains day-to-day and it's possible he will not play against Arizona this week. The athletic left tackle is regarded as the top junior offensive linemen in the country despite still being very raw. He is expected to depart for the NFL early.


never heard what was wrong with him

According to the Des Moines Register, an Iowa radio station has described Hawkeye offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga as questionable for Saturday's rivalry game against Iowa State.

Not much more is known about the reason for Bulaga's possible absence, but the mystery has led to a great deal of Internet speculation about a serious injury or even illness.

Bulaga is arguably the most talented player on the Iowa roster, and FBT named him one of the "Big Ten's Best 11" only a few weeks ago.

If Bulaga will in fact miss Saturday's game, hopefully it's nothing major and he can return to the field soon. Always hard to make sense of what's just Internet rumors and what might be real, but the story of a health issue (some have said with Bulaga's heart) seems to be picking up steam. Obviously the rumblings of something season- or career-ending are cause for great concern, but at this point, we just wait for concrete news out of Iowa City

 

[UnoDallas]

It’s when and not if for Bryan Bulaga.

He will return from the undisclosed illness that took the Hawkeyes’ all-Big Ten offensive tackle off the field for last week’s Iowa State game, Coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. The illness needed regulating. He’s feeling better. But he hasn’t returned to practice.

The focus is on the “when.” Ferentz votes for sooner rather than later.
Bulaga hasn’t practiced since last Tuesday when he checked into the hospital for a couple nights. Coaches have different ideas on how much practice a player can miss and remain effective. Obviously, a player of Bulaga’s stature has earned some leeway. Last month, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder was being asked if he was going to leave early for the NFL draft.
Still, the clock is ticking on Saturday’s game against Arizona (2-0) and former Hawkeye All-American safety and UA coach Mike Stoops.

“It really depends on when he’s cleared,” Ferentz said. “Probably, the big thing there again is it’s not a matter of if he’ll be cleared, it’s when he’s cleared. I’m getting nervous, though. Most players play better if they practice and most players don’t play well when they don’t practice. That’s not 100 percent true, but it’s pretty close.”

Ferentz said he ideally would like a player to be on the field by Wednesday. As of Tuesday afternoon, Bulaga was termed “day-to-day.” So the “when” remained open ended.

“He’s day-to-day right now,” Ferentz said. “Day-to-day. We’ll know more tomorrow, I’ll know more Thursday and right on through. We’ll see how it goes.”

Ferentz declined to reveal the details of Bulaga’s illness. His description made it sound as though some regulation is required.

“They’re doing checks right now,” Ferentz said. “It’s just a matter of meeting certain levels and getting OKs to move forward. Right now, obviously, he’s not practicing.”

If Bulaga doesn’t suit up against Arizona, the Hawkeyes (2-0) will once again go with red-shirt freshman Riley Reiff at left tackle. The 6-6, 280-pounder from Parkson, S.D., saw his first game action last week at Iowa State.