CHICAGO -- Iowa defensive end Drew Ott boasted in a recent interview that he enjoys eating raw eggs -- shell and all.

So we put him to the test.

Ott, a 6-foot-4, 272-pound senior who earned academic All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year in 2014, downed the egg with ease Thursday on camera at Big Ten media days. Ott grew up on a farm near Giltner, Nebraska, and played eight-man football in high school. He started every game last year and led the Hawkeyes with 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"He's so hard-core, I think he made his girlfriend eat a raw egg," Iowa center Austin Blythe said.

Ott said he likes to eat eggs as a party trick but also for the nutritional value. After the snack on Thursday, Ott said our egg hit the spot.

"I was hungry," he said.

Glad that we could help. Just don't ask us to join you, Drew.