Logan Jones Now Has Experience on His Side

Iowa Center Playing Faster Heading into Year 2 as Starter

Iowa center Logan Jones (65) looks over the defense while quarterback Spencer Petras (7) calls out a protection during a game  against Iowa State on Sept. 10, 2022 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - It’s about building relationships, Logan Jones said.

The Iowa center wants to get to know everyone around him, so that’s what he has been working on in the offseason.

He has to get to know a new quarterback, so he’s worked on a lot of snaps with Cade McNamara.

He wants to get to know all of the linemen around him, so every Wednesday in the summer is about eating together, every Friday means hitting the golf course.

“It’s about being confident,” Jones said. “Confident in the guy next to you.”

Last season was Jones’ first at center after moving from the defensive line, and there were the growing pains that come from such a move. There was learning snap counts, learning defensive fronts, learning blocking schemes, learning how to snap to starting quarterback Spencer Petras.

The struggles from that season were something Jones didn’t want this season. The progress, he said, started with working with his new quarterback.

“Getting with Cade, that’s the biggest thing,” Jones said. “Watched a lot of film, worked on a lot of snaps.

“It takes a little bit to get our snaps going. But I feel like working with him, we’re super comfortable with each other. Developing chemistry, that’s been the biggest thing. Right now, I would say we’re in a pretty good spot.”

There is some give-and-take to that process, Jones said.

“I like to do things a certain way, he likes to do things a certain way,” Jones said. “It’s about coming together.

“But I’ve also got to know him off the field. Yeah, he’s my quarterback, but he’s also my friend.”

He also feels that way with the players around him on Iowa’s offensive line. There are always moving parts with the line, especially early in the season with searches for the right fit. And with new faces around him, Jones said it’s important to know the personalities and the styles, on and off the field.

“I think the biggest thing we do as an O-line is just do things together,” he said. “Every Wednesday we eat together, every Friday we golf together. And that’s important to get to know each other.

“I know who they are as a person. I know their life story, which makes me want to play for them even more. And they’re going to want to play for me. It’s just developing that relationship. When you step on the field, you’re loyal to those guys. You trust those guys.”

Jones also has trust in his ability to read defenses now.

“I would say I’m pretty comfortable — our defense throws a lot of things at us, which is pretty good,” Jones said. “You never know what a team is going to throw at us. Some time a team is going to throw a certain front at us that I don’t know, and then we’ll have to make adjustments, learn from that. But I’ve learned a lot from last year to this year. I’m not going to be perfect, but I know a lot more.”