Iowa left tackle Mason Richman poised to make history, but with little notice or hype
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Offensive lineman Mason Richman was among 11 members of the Iowa football team that were made available to the media on Tuesday.
He was one of the first to show up, and one of the last to leave.
For nearly 45 minutes, Richman answered all sorts of questions about himself, about the Iowa offensive line and about various other topics, including Kadyn Proctor’s brief time as a Hawkeye.
If having to answer questions for that long started to wear on Richman, he didn’t show it.
He was engaged from start to finish, but that’s how Richman always handles being interviewed.
He has nearly perfected the art of being interviewed from years of experience.
Richman also has a unique story to tell, though it often gets overlooked due to the struggles on offense during his time as a Hawkeye.
Richman is poised to become one of the very few four-year starters at left tackle for the Iowa football team. But he also plays for an Iowa offense that has performed at a historically low level from a statistical standpoint in each of the past two seasons.
With 39 career starts, Richman has been durable, reliable and Iowa’s best option at left tackle since the 2021 season.
The Leawood, Kansas native is about to accomplish what even the great Robert Gallery and Tristan Wirfs didn’t accomplish as Iowa offensive linemen.
Only one other player is believed to have been a four-year starter for Iowa at left tackle, and remarkably, that player is Richman’s predecessor and former mentor, Alaric Jackson.
But Richman also plays for an offense that has become the target of much ridicule, and the offensive line certainly deserves its share of the blame because it just hasn’t come close to performing at an elite level.
Richman has been steady, but he hasn’t been spectacular.
In fact, none of the current Iowa offensive linemen have come close to being spectacular and time is running out for this group, which includes four returning starters that have combined for 114 starts.
“Just making sure that I do my job to the best of my ability, I think, is the most important thing,” Richman said. “Yeah, for sure, it comes down to us I think a lot of the times because you can’t run the ball if the offensive line is not doing its job, and you can’t throw if he’s got no time.
“So, just doing our job, I think, is the most important thing.”
That was stating the obvious, but Richman is right.
All he can do as the starting left tackle is his job to the best of his ability.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz couldn’t have said it better.
However, what if the best of Richman and his cohorts up front still isn’t good enough?
That’s the concern about all the Iowa offensive linemen because none have distinguished themselves as first- or second-team All-Big Ten performers.
They’ve had plenty of chances to do so, but so far, it just hasn’t happened.
And while little has changed on the offensive line from a personnel standpoint, there has been one significant change to the offense with Tim Lester having replaced Brian Ferentz as the offensive coordinator.
But on the other hand, blocking is blocking, and it still ultimately comes down to beating the guy on the other side of line of scrimmage.
Richman said Tuesday that this will be his final season as a Hawkeye, even with a free Covid year to use.
He came to Iowa in the summer of 2020, and during a global pandemic, and has been a fixture on the offensive line.
“It means a lot to be a four-year starter at an important spot,” said the 6-foot-6, 312-pound Richman. “I was 19 when I first started, and now, I’m 22 and going on 23 next May.
“It is pretty special to me.”
Richman’s starting spot at left tackle was believed to be in serious jeopardy after former five-star recruit Kadyn Proctor transferred to Iowa from Alabama in late January.
Proctor, a 2023 graduate of Southeast Polk High School, had started all 14 games for Alabama at left tackle as a true freshman in 2023 and it was assumed that he would be Iowa’s starting left tackle, and that Richman would probably shift to guard.
Richman addressed the Proctor situation on Tuesday as he was asked multiple times about it.
“At the beginning of it, it was a little difficult for me,” Richman said. “But that’s what anybody is going to think.”
Richman eventually came to realize that the Iowa coaches were just trying to put the best team on the field, and that would include Proctor at left tackle and Richman at guard, which is where Richman projects in the NFL anyway.
“I just think if they see a need for an upgrade, that’s their job as coaches,” Richman said. “Their job is to have the best football team on the field. It was up to them, and they decided that was the best thing. Obviously, for what I’ve been hearing about me at the next level, it’s moving inside. I was not resistant at all at moving to left guard.”
Proctor’s time at Iowa was brief, however, as he has since transferred back to Alabama, paving the way for Richman to make history.
“I just understood it was for the best for the team at that point,” Richman said of the addition of Proctor. “I’m not going to say I was shocked that he left. But it was a roller-coaster ride through the spring. I’m just glad that the room is the same as last year, and we’re just focused on being better than what we were last year. That’s the most important thing for us.”
Former Iowa center/guard Austin Blythe started 49 games as a Hawkeye. That is believed to be the most for an Iowa offensive lineman under Kirk Ferentz.
Sean Welsh started 48 games followed by Mike Jones with 43 starts and Alaric Jackson with 42.
Barring an injury, Richman will leave Iowa with more than 50 career starts.
“I won’t lie to you; I was looking to see who’s got the most starts ever,” Richman said. “And the funny thing is I could come back next year.”
Jackson, who now plays in the NFL, was a senior when Richman was a redshirt freshman in 2020.
Iowa only played eight games during the 2020 season, and with hardly any fans in the stands due to the pandemic.
For Richman, it was a huge adjustment on and off the field, and he credits Jackson for sort of taking him under his wing and showing him the way to be successful.
“Learning from Alaric was obviously a gift in my mind,” Richman said. “He has his own fundamentals and ideas of football that helped me out a lot. If you learn from experienced guys like that, it means a lot.”