Iowa football down starting C Cael Winter vs. Northwestern

The Iowa offensive line is going to be shorthanded for Saturday night’s big clash with Northwestern.

On Wednesday, the Hawkeyes ruled out starting center Cael Winter for the Northwestern game. Head coach Kirk Ferentz shared an update on Winter at his weekly Tuesday media availability.

"I don't think Cael Winter will play," Ferentz said. "We'll see, but not optimistic there. Then we have a couple of other guys banged up. It's that time of year, so we have some guys nursing injuries. Hopefully they'll make it by game time. Optimistic they will, but we'll wait and see how the week pans out on that one."

With him missing this game, Iowa will turn to its experienced backup center: sixth-year Michael Myslinski. Despite being with the program for six years, this will be the first start in Myslinski’s collegiate career. He has seen real action across his time in Iowa City, appearing in eight games last season. Ferentz spoke about his confidence in the sixth-year center.

"Yeah, Mike jumped in and did a really good job Saturday, not surprisingly," Ferentz said. "I think he's our most veteran player, quite frankly. Just had a 25th birthday last week. He did a great job Saturday, and every confidence he'll play really well this weekend."

Winter, a fourth-year from Waukee, Iowa, has played some good football this season. He had a tall task, replacing All-American center Logan Jones. He’s done a solid job so far, gaining the trust of his teammates and coaching staff in the process.

Iowa will hope this doesn’t turn into a long-term injury for Winter. He’s an important part of an offensive line that’s getting better each week. The Hawkeyes will need their offensive line at full strength as the regular season wraps up.

Iowa and Northwestern will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. Fans can check out the game on Fox.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football down starting C Cael Winter vs. Northwestern