Iowa's offensive line waits on the field for a timeout to end during a game against Illinois on Nov. 18, 2023 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HN)
Evaluating Iowa O-Line After Kadyn Proctor Addition
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Kadyn Proctor made himself at home at Carver-Hawkeye Arena Saturday afternoon. The mammoth Alabama offensive tackle had just announced he was transferring to Iowa Football and was basking in the delight of his decision.
Proctor sat smiling in the stands with his new teammates, fans welcoming him before Hawkeye men's basketball tipped off against Purdue. The Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk High graduate chest-bumped and high-fived members of the student-section. He posed for selfies and conducted multiple interviews with the media.
The 6-foot-7, 360-pounder coming back to his home state was big news, literally and figuratively. It happened 13 months after he de-committed from Iowa to sign with the Crimson Tide. He landed on the SEC All-Freshman team, starting 14 games at left tackle for a College Football Playoff team.
Following the season, legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. Proctor joined a mass exodus from Tuscaloosa after the news broke. He chose to come home.
While the excitement level in Hawkeye Nation should remain high, Proctor now immerses himself in offseason conditioning and learning a new system. The process includes waiting with everyone else on who coach Kirk Ferentz will name as the new offensive coordinator.
Proctor will improve an offensive line that has performed inconsistently during three seasons under coach George Barnett. It's a very veteran group returning four starters from the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl.
Here's a look at experienced players on the roster at the start of the second semester:
-Mason Richman, 6-6, 312, 5th-Year Senior: The Kansas native has started 39 college games, all at left tackle. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten laurels from conference coaches the last two seasons.
-Connor Colby, 6-6, 311, 4th-Year Senior: The Cedar Rapids Kennedy High graduate was thrown into the mix as a true freshman and has remained a fixture on the line when healthy. He's started 37 games, mostly at guard, earning third-team all-conference honors from league coaches and media in '23.
-Logan Jones, 6-3, 290, 5th-Year Senior: Jones has started 27 games at center during the last two campaigns, landing on the All-Big Ten third-team this past fall. He battled a lower-body injury late in the year, sitting out the regular-season finale at Nebraska before returning for the bowl game.
-Gennings Dunker, 6-5, 320, 4th-Year Junior: Dunker started 14 games at right tackle in '23, showing up as an honorable-mention all-conference pick for the media. He started a game at right guard during his sophomore campaign. Ferentz said this past season that he saw Dunker as a tackle moving forward.
-Nick DeJong, 6-6, 305, 6th-Year Senior: The former walk-on from Pella has 24 college starts under his belt and was named third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches in '23. During his career, he has started nine contests at right tackle, two at left tackle, 10 at left guard and three at right guard.
-Tyler Elsbury, 6-5, 312, 5th-Year Senior: Elsbury has appeared in 37 games during his time at Iowa. He started at center against Nebraska in November and opened two games at left guard in '22.
-Beau Stephens, 6-6, 319, 4th-Year Junior: The Missouri native started 10 games at right guard in '22. He appeared in five games this past fall and has seen action in 18 contests during his college career.
-Kadyn Proctor, 6-7, 360, 2nd-Year Sophomore: Proctor held down the starting left tackle position at Alabama for all 14 of its games in '23. SEC coaches named him to their all-freshman team.
That's eight players with a combined 169 college starts. Behind them is a talented group of developing players at the position.
Kade Pieper drew positive feedback for his progress as a true freshman in '23. Third-year sophomore Jack Dotzler has flashed potential as has walk-on Jeremy Chaplin. The program has recruited well at the position during the last few cycles.
The experience and depth up front should make for stiff competition throughout each stage leading up to the season opener Aug. 31 against Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium. Coaches likely will be moving guys around in search of a starting five and top backups.
The assumption might be that Proctor will displace Richman as the starting left tackle, but that scenario must first play out in practice. Maybe the unit looks best with Richman staying where he's started 39 games and the newcomer lining up at right tackle.
Iowa tried flipping tackles Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson during the spring of '18. It turned out that the line performed better with Jackson remaining on the left side and Wirfs staying at right tackle.
The Hawkeyes boast three capable starters at tackle with Dunker joining Richman and Proctor. One of them will either move inside or become a backup. If you subscribe to analytics-based evaluations, Pro Football Focus ranks Dunker as the best performer among that trio for '23 with Proctor next.
Colby and Jones started at right guard and center, respectively, in the Citrus Bowl. Starting left guard Rusty Feth exhausted his eligibility, creating the lone opening from the No. 1 unit at the season's end.
Elsbury could push Jones at center after playing well in the latter's absence for injury late in the year. DeJong's versatility allows the coaches to experiment with guys at different positions.
It will be interesting to see how the situation shakes out. With the competition at the position and a strong defensive line to work against in practice, this should be the program's best offensive line in years.
