By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Alaric Jackson has the distinction of being the only four-year starting left tackle for the Iowa football team under Kirk Ferentz.

At least for now because the person who replaced him at left tackle in 2021 is also on course to be a four-year starter for the Hawkeyes.

Redshirt junior Mason Richman is expected to make his 26^th career start at left tackle when Iowa faces Utah State in the season opener on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

“Honestly, the other day I thought about it, thinking about week one and thinking about going into the season and stuff like that,” Richman said Tuesday. “With Alaric coming before me and then me coming in, I think there’s just a lot of things that the past has taught me about these tackles at Iowa and what they mean, and just to be accountable to the team and be someone that everyone can count on I think is the most important thing to me.

“For me, I just want them to play the best five players. So, if I’m that every week for four years, that’s great. But at the same time, I just want to see team success.”

Richman’s time as a starter hasn’t been easy because to play left tackle at the Power Five level is a daunting task under any circumstance.

But to play left tackle as an underclassman, especially as a redshirt freshman, takes the challenge to another level because the learning process is greatly accelerated.

It’s no secret that Richman and his young cohorts on the offensive line struggled last season with both run blocking and pass blocking. Some of them were asked to contribute before maybe they were ready to hold their own at this level.

Iowa only averaged 94.9 rushing yards per game last season, and that statistic certainly doesn’t speak well for the Iowa offensive line.

But this is also a new season, and for the first time in his career, Richman is an upperclassman, as are four of the five offensive linemen listed as starters for Saturday’s game.

Richman said being an upperclassman, in his case, a fourth-year junior, helps from a mental standpoint.

“Oh, yeah,” he said.  “The last couple years it’s like, oh, I’m a second, third year. I’ve had a voice for a while as an offensive lineman. But now it’s like, dude, you’re getting old. That kind of thing. I turned 21, so, I was told you can legally have a drink. And I was like, what the heck.

“Just an understanding as you get higher and higher in this program of experiencing everything, your role might change just a little bit. And for me, just helping those younger guys out and just making sure we leave the jersey in a better place.”

The Iowa offensive line is being counted on to help lead a much-maligned offense that has a new starting quarterback in Michigan transfer Cade McNamara and several other key additions from the transfer portal.

The group is a year older and year wiser from last season, and with that experience comes a sense of leadership, which Richman shows daily in practice.

“I feel like he’s definitely a leader on the offensive line and the offense as well, and the team,” senior receiver Nico Ragaini said of Richman. “I think he’s doing a great job of being vocal and coaching up all the other guys. You can hear him all the time, like when the twos are in, he’s correcting all the tackles if they make a mistake in a positive way.

“So, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s (on course) to be a four-year starter here. I’m excited for him and the offensive line and our offense this Saturday.”

Richman was redshirted as a true freshman in 2020 after having appeared in three games during the Covid-shortened eight-game season.

He then won the starting left tackle position that was vacated by Jackson after the 2020 season and Richman has been in the starting lineup ever since.

And still with two seasons of eligibility, Richman could leave Iowa with over 50 career starts at left tackle over four seasons barring injuries.

Richman missed spring practice due to an injury, but he’s healthy now and eager to help change the narrative on offense.

“I think right now we’ve got a great rotation of guys and everybody is ready for whenever their name and number is called,” Richman said. “At the same time, there’s a certain feeling that we have and everybody is just ready to go out there and compete against the other guys.

“There’s not a single guy in the lineup that I wouldn’t want to go out there with. So, that’s most important thing.”

Richman was asked at Iowa’s weekly media gathering on Tuesday what he feels is the expectation for the offense this season.

He is fully aware of the criticism, but he tries to avoid the outside noise just by staying the course and staying focused.

“Our expectation is just to compete and get better,” Richman said.

Richman doesn’t take what he has accomplished so far for granted.

But he also doesn’t seem in awe of his situation as a potential four-year starter at left tackle.

“I’m not really surprised,” Richman said. “I think with my work ethic and just the attitude I kind of go about it every day and my competitiveness, there was just nothing that was going to stop myself but myself.

“Four years; sure, that’s a lot. Obviously, I think when I came in, I knew I wasn’t going to start my first year. I was way small and way too skinny in the redshirt year.”

Richman spent his freshman season in 2020 learning from watching Jackson play left tackle.

Jackson, in addition to starting all 42 games in which he played for Iowa, also earned All-America and All-Big Ten accolades as a Hawkeye.

“He has great feet and the big thing I learned from him is how he practiced and certain drills and things he did indoors just by himself,” Richman said of Jackson, who now plays in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams. “I know he had helped me with a couple of them.

“He’s a great guy to look up to. I just expect nothing but success from him. He’s a great dude.”

Richman hasn’t spoken with Jackson in a while, but he looks forward to reconnecting with his former teammate and mentor.

“I appreciate him and I learned so much from him,” Richman said of Jackson.

Richman has gained about 22 pounds since he joined the Iowa program in 2020 and is now listed at 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds.

He came in as a teenager from Leawood, Kansas and will leave as an adult in select company.

“The first game, that first start I wasn’t nervous at all for some reason,” Richman said. “I don’t know if it was I probably wasn’t thinking as much. And now I’m thinking a lot more.

“I think just to understand my mental approach has changed so much, my approach to the game and my focus out there on the field. Just really apprecaite everyone that has helped me with that.”

At the top of that list, besides Alaric Jackson, is Kirk Ferentz and Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett.

“I just really appreciate what coach Ferentz and coach Barnett have instilled in me just to be able to be accountable and be someone that everyone can count on,” Richman said.