Connor Colby was thrown into the fire for the Iowa Hawkeyes as a true freshman.
The talented lineman from Cedar Rapids was pressed into duty as a freshman at right guard after Justin Britt started the first three games there before an injury derailed his season. Colby wound up making 11 consecutive starts at right guard for the Hawkeyes to close that freshman campaign in 2021.
While it isn’t altogether surprising, Colby recounted with Pro Football Focus‘ Max Chadwick how he really didn’t totally understand everything he was being asked to do that season.
“This is going to sound pretty bad. I knew play calls and stuff like that. But sometimes when I was out there, I’d struggle with who to block. So I just looked at (Linderbaum) before every play and he’d just point at the guy I had to block. We just went from there,” Colby told Chadwick and PFF.
It puts into perspective just how difficult it is for young players, especially offensive linemen, to understand every aspect of what they’re being required to do.
Now, after starting all 13 games last season for the Hawkeyes, Colby is a chiseled vet. That makes 24 starts over the course of his career.
The other good news for Colby is that Iowa has figured out where he’s best positioned. The Hawkeyes experimented with Colby at right tackle for the first seven games of last season and it just wasn’t the right fit.
By comparison, his PFF pass-blocking grade was 62.8 points higher across his final six starts of last season at left guard. Though he returns to the right side of the Hawkeyes’ offensive line, he’s at a position he’s found more success with in right guard.
“I love playing guard. I just like being physical. It’s like a fight in the phone booth every time I’m out there. It’s fun,” Colby said.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was vocal that the staff erred in trying to play Colby at tackle.
“Connor could go left or right but we’re going to keep him at guard. We’re not going back to that experiment. I took ownership for that. We’ll keep him at guard, and he can go left or right. That’s not a big deal,” Ferentz said.
Colby was a preseason All-Big Ten selection by PFF. The 6-foot-6, 311 pound guard’s experience and presence is one of the big reasons why the Hawkeye coaching staff is once again optimistic that its offensive line will return to the type of play up front that they and Iowa fans can be proud of.
In a parting shot with PFF, Colby shared his vision for 2023.
“Win the West, win in Indy, win whatever’s next,” Colby said.
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