One characteristic puts Iowa football OL among the nation's best groups

Iowa Hawkeyes On SI · Jul 20, 2026 16:13 · 2 min read

One Characteristic Puts Iowa Football OL Among the Nation's Best Groups — Aug 9, 2025; Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett looks on during the Hawkeyes Kids Day NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Cress for the Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There is one characteristic, and it isn't solely talent, putting Iowa's offensive line among tops in the nation.

Success for the Iowa Hawkeyes over the past few seasons has started and ended with the offensive line.

As far as that group goes, Iowa goes. It has paved the way for Kaleb Johnson, who posted a historic year in 2024, and created massive running lanes for Mark Gronowski, Kamari Moulton, and others in 2025.

Entering 2026, this group is not just Iowa's strongest group, but according to CBS Sports, is among the best units in all of college football.

Iowa Should Have One of America's Best Offensive Lines

With Gennings Dunker, Logan Jones, and Beau Stephens making their way to the NFL this past draft, Iowa brings back just two starters.

It does help that the two starters returning, center Kade Pieper and left tackle Trevor Lauck, are already generating buzz as potential future first-round NFL draft picks.

Slotting in across the board in the openings are likely to be Trent Wilson, Leighton Jones, and Jack Dotzler. Even with the new faces, this unit is being labeled as a top offensive line in the country.

Iowa's offensive line is built on something besides talent

The talent is there. Let's not ignore that. At this level of college football, a high level of talent is required not just to get here, but to maintain success and get better.

After that, it takes something extra to be elite, and Iowa has that. Under offensive line coach George Barnett, who is churning out great offensive lines, the Hawkeyes have developed one key attribute: grit.

Where does that grit come from? Well, it starts with Iowa's collection of offensive linemen all feeling like they have something to prove, and not being afraid of it.

Iowa's likely five starters have one common denominator. All five of them entered the collegiate ranks as three-star recruits.

All of them were incredibly talented in high school, but none of them entered college with a starting spot waiting for them. It has been earned by each of them.

Earning a spot in today's world of college football, when people can transfer if they lose their starting job or leave one program for another to go play, George Barnett has instilled a level of grit that transcends Iowa's offensive linemen each year.

The grit among this group is going to be a hugely important factor with the introduction of a new quarterback this season. With a young, less-experienced quarterback coming in, this group has to be a stone wall.

Not only that, the group has to be ready to handle the adversity and growing pains bound to come with a new quarterback. The grit comes into play here by protecting their guy, handling turnovers, and helping them bounce back.