Fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes are hoping this is the year it all clicks up front offensively.
Understandably, the amount of experience that Iowa returns defensively has garnered plenty of attention nationally. The Hawkeyes return 192 career starts to a defense that ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (14.8 points per game) and seventh in total defense (282.5 yards per game).
Don’t lose sight of the amount of experience and starts that Iowa also brings back up front offensively. The Hawkeye offensive line returns 147 career starts, including 58 from last season.
That includes Iowa starting center Logan Jones and starting right tackle Connor Colby. Jones, a 6-foot-3, 290 pound senior, and Colby, a 6-foot-6, 311 pound senior, have started 26 and 36 career games, respectively. Colby started 12 last season, while Jones started 13.
In its annual preseason college football preview magazine, Lindy’s gave both some proper due. Jones was ranked as Lindy’s No. 6 center nationally, while Colby was ranked as Lindy’s No. 5 guard heading into the 2024 college football season.
For an Iowa offense looking to transform its production under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, having Jones and Colby both back in the fold for his first campaign in Iowa City is massive.
In its breakdown of Iowa, here’s some of what Lindy’s had to say about Iowa’s offense as a whole:
Iowa’s offense became a national running joke last season, with websites, podcasts and—well, just about anybody who was paying attention—poking fun at the Hawkeyes and their offensive soap opera, which averaged just 234.6 yards a game, dead last in the country.
Yet they still won the Big Ten West.
In comes new offensive coordinator Tim Lester to replace the embattled Brian Ferentz, who has been replaced by a former head coach who has shown he can build a solid offense. After Lester was let go as head coach at Western Michigan (37-32 in six years), he spent last season as an offensive analyst for the Green Bay Packers.
Good news for the rebuild: Quarterback Cade McNamara is healthy after missing more than half of last season with a torn ACL. Protecting the former Michigan transfer will be especially important, and after the line also battled injuries last year, that unit starts fresh with veterans at every position led by center Logan Jones and guard Connor Colby. – Lindy’s.
Iowa also brings back its top four running backs in Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson, Jaziun Patterson and Kamari Moulton.
Two of the Hawkeyes’ top pass-catchers at receiver are back in junior wide outs Seth Anderson and Kaleb Brown. Talented senior tight end Luke Lachey is back for Iowa as well.
In order for Iowa to complete the offensive transformation it’s working for, it’s no secret that Iowa needs to perform better up front, though. Jones and Colby join offensive tackles Gennings Dunker and Mason Richman, left guard Beau Stephens and Nick DeJong as offensive linemen that have started during their Hawkeye careers entering the 2024 season.
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