Logan Jones Readying for Next Step at Center

Iowa Junior Learned on Job in Year 1 as Starter

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Logan Jones knew how rough his adjustment to playing center on Iowa’s offensive line was last season.

So, he’s gone into the spring listening to different perspectives and what that’s done, he said, has made him more confident.

“It’s just understanding the offense a little bit more,” Jones said. “Last year, I was just kind of going with the flow, learning as I went along. This year, I’m learning the concepts of everything, why we do this. Now I understand the ‘why,’ which has really helped me.”

Jones transitioned to the offensive line after spending his first two seasons working on the defensive line. Last season, he said, was a consistent work in progress, and it showed in the way he played.

“Definitely, confidence was the biggest thing,” Jones said. “I wasn’t always sure what I was doing. And that affected the way I was snapping the ball. Maybe I was late, sometimes I was a little early. If I know what I’m doing, when to snap the ball, I can be confident in the way I play.

“I knew I was late (on some snaps). (Quarterback) Spencer (Petras) would talk to me and say, ‘Hey, you need to get the ball to me quicker.’”

Part of the problem, Jones said, was understanding what blocking schemes were needed against opposing fronts.

“I was getting fronts thrown at me, those were the first times I had seen them,” Jones said. “Like, ‘OK, what do I do here?’ Going through last season, I now know the fronts I’m going to see and I’m more confident in making calls for everybody to understand.”

Jones took a redshirt season as a freshman in 2020, then played in just one game in 2021. His abilities helped win him the starting center job, but the lack of experience was clear.

“I think I said this before — we all kind of got sucked into it last year,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “(Jones) just does things with such proficiency. We're playing our first game last year, I totally forgot that he had never played college football. That's a big hurdle, a big step for a guy.

“He's taken that step now. He can work on getting better and keep improving. He's driven that way mentally.”

Iowa’s offensive line has been hampered by low numbers this spring because of injuries. But Jones said that has helped him, and others gain experience.

“Week by week, we’ve gained a lot of guys,” he said. “This spring has been a lot different than a few other springs. It’s interesting, we’re not doing some of the things we used to. But we’re getting a lot of reps. Which is good for us, because we’re a young offensive line.”

Jones also is getting acquainted with new Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara.

“He’s been fun since he got here,” Jones said. “We’ve been pretty close since he got here. Love the guy. He likes to compete.”

Jones never missed a start last season, and that experience was crucial. Then he spent the offseason studying film, while breaking down his game from a variety of angles, talking with offensive line coach George Barnett and former Hawkeye offensive lineman James Ferentz, who parlayed his college experience into a seven-year NFL career.

“I’ve seen these different perspectives on things, and that’s been really helpful for me,” Jones said. “Seeing it from different angles has really helped.”

Kirk Ferentz knows what he has seen in Jones from his perspective.

“Just keep playing,” he said. “He has so many good things. I talked to him about getting his hands up quicker. You see times on film where it's not natural yet. But he will (get better). Like, he will. He's got a great attitude. He kills the out-of-season program. Everything he does, he's a guy who is always out front working and pushing.”