Iowa Hawkeyes Offensive Line Earns Noteworthy Praise With Promising Season in Store

The Iowa Hawkeyes are looking to turn their offense from a center of jokes to the center of attention. In Tim Lester’s first season as offensive coordinator, the Hawkeyes made a significant jump. With Mark Gronowski in at quarterback, the next step is there to take. It’ll certainly be made easier behind one of the best offensive lines in the entire country.

While the offense in Iowa has struggled in recent years, it hasn’t been because of bad offensive line play, which is usually the case with struggling offenses. In the Hawkeyes’ case, it’s been bad quarterback play and inconsistency at the other skill positions. Though in 2024, part of the turnaround was thanks to Kaleb Johnson at running back, who racked up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns as he burst through the rushing lanes his offensive line created. Now, most of that offensive line returns in 2025.

With center Logan Jones and right tackle Gennings Dunker returning as 2024 second-team All-Big Ten selections to lead the charge, Bleacher Report highlighted the Iowa front as one of the nation’s top five offensive lines. Last year’s unit was a semi-finalist for the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s top offensive line, and this year’s has a shot at some hardware yet again.

Jones is arguably the best center in the Big Ten. He’s started 38 games in his career and was on the midseason watchlist for the Lombardi Award last year while earning an 83.6 PFF grade. In nearly 1,000 career snaps, he’s allowed just four sacks.

Along with Jones and Dunker, the Hawkeyes also return Beau Stephens and Kade Pieper at the guard spots. Stephens earned the team’s Comeback Player of the Year Award last year while Pieper made a strong first impression, winning the team’s Coaches Appreciation Award.

Left tackle is the question mark, though three names have staked a claim during the spring: Bryce George, Trevor Lauck, and Jack Dotzler. George, a D-II All-American Ferris State transfer, is the frontrunner to land the job.

Just as they were last year, the offensive front will be key in keeping the offense on track as it works its way back to college football relevance. With a talented quarterback orchestrating the offense, this unit may see even higher recognition in 2025 with another stellar season in store.