It all starts up front for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Win in the trenches and you can win a lot of ball games controlling the line of scrimmage against your opponent. That strategy works especially well for the Iowa Hawkeyes who rely on ball control and good defense.
To win that way, it starts with top talent on the offensive line. Iowa has had a history of producing NFL-caliber talent and stars across the front and this year could see two more Hawkeyes leading the way.
Connor Colby and Cade Borud headline Iowa as the only team with multiple players on Pro Football Focus’ top-10 returning Big Ten offensive lineman. Borud is the fifth-highest graded lineman while Colby is the seventh-highest graded.
Highest Graded Returning Big Ten Interior OLđź’Ş pic.twitter.com/c4kMDwsKQw
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 3, 2024
Cade Borud is a transfer from North Dakota who was a second-team freshman All-American as a center. He has three years of eligibility left. Connor Colby is entering his fourth year with the Iowa Hawkeyes and brings a ton of experience up front. He has started 37 games in his career up to this point.
Iowa needs these two to anchor an offensive line that has not been up to the Kirk Ferentz standard as of lately. Last year, the Hawkeyes ran for just 3.3 yards per carry, a tally much lower than the expectation is in Iowa City.
Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
Follow Riley on X:Â @rileydonald7