Ask Logan Jones about the 2022 season, and the Iowa center’s face flashes red. He lets out a sigh as his eyes drift to the ceiling of the team’s practice facility.
“Oh jeez. I don’t,” he lets out through an uneasy smile. His head shakes slightly as if attempting to forget the memory, but reluctant to let it disappear from his mind.
That season was a trying one for Jones. After two seasons spent on the sideline due to a redshirt and injury, the Hawkeye made his starting debut at center – a position he hadn’t played since high school. Recruited to Iowa as a defensive lineman, Jones found himself in an unfamiliar situation but wasn’t alone with his inexperience.
Among the nine Hawkeye linemen who started for Iowa that season, the group had 40 starts heading into the season. Jones, as well as linemen Gennings Dunker, Beau Stephens and Tyler Elsbury, had no starts to their names. This trial of fire had shortcomings, as evidenced by the 38 sacks allowed and the 2.9 yards per rush mustered that season.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said he wasn’t too surprised by this lack of production. The Hawkeyes don’t usually recruit linemen with the size and ability to start as soon as they get on campus. Growing pains are inevitable.
“Maturity brings confidence, but you usually got to go through some bad experiences to get there. That’s how the path works,” Ferentz said.
Two years later, seven of those nine players remain, boasting greater maturity and unity as they have evolved from a team weakness to one of its biggest strengths. The 2024 unit made the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll – aiming to take home the hardware as the nation’s best offensive line for the first time since 2016.
Looking back on that 2016 unit – which was composed of four future NFL players – Jones admitted admiration. Battling injuries all season, the 2016 unit featured seven different starting lineups but still paved the way for two 1,000-yard rushers. But for all that group’s talents, this year’s edition is on pace to give up fewer sacks and produce more rushing yards.
Not that it’s a matter of comparison, though. For Jones and the offensive line, the award is a tangible goal, but not a distraction.
“It’s always a dream of ours, but right now we’re focused on what we need to do,” Jones said. “And as long as we’re focused on the now and getting better in practice, everything will take care of itself.”
Starting with the second half of the season opener against Illinois State, the Iowa line has been a key component to running back Kaleb Johnson’s 14-touchdown 1,137-yard season. Johnson repeats the mantra after every game – his job is made a lot easier with the five guys up front; so much so that he owes them dinner.
When a reporter mentioned this to Jones, his face lit up thinking of the possibilities. Onion rings. Lobster mac and cheese. All on his teammate’s dime.
“I’ll run that bill up,” he said with a smile. “He’ll spoil us.”
Before uniting with Johnson, Iowa’s offensive line had to come together themselves. Dunker missed the 2021 season due to a foot injury. He said he was reserved in his younger years and didn’t often make conversation with his older teammates. Yet as the games and practices wore on, he soon realized that communication was a priority, most evidenced by left tackle Mason Richman.
Hailing from Leawood, Kansas, Richman was one of the few Hawkeyes with experience in 2022, having started 12 games the year prior following his redshirt 2020 season. Part jokester and part drill sergeant, Richman isn’t afraid to either poke fun or instruct a teammate whenever the situation calls for it.
“He’ll yell at some guys, whether it be grabbing when you’re running, just these little things,” Jones said.
Chemistry also developed alongside individual improvement. After countless dinners together on Thursday nights, when grilling and board games entertain the evening, even members of the Iowa defense can’t help but notice.
“They set the tone in practice. They’re a really energetic group,” Black said of the Hawkeye offensive line. “A strong, bonded group of guys that show that they’re really together. So that makes us work even harder, because you know they know what they’re doing.”
Jones is well aware of his own and the line’s progress since that forgetful 2022 season, but the 23-year-old keeps perspective. Football isn’t an easy game. Struggles are inevitable. But armed with the belief of his teammates and coaching staff, the potential is hard to ignore.
“We have everything out there for us still,” Jones said. “If we want to go out there and take it, then we’ve got to continue to do that and grow each week.”