Fresh off announcing his plans to return for the 2025 season, Iowa senior center Logan Jones was sporting a cast on his right hand and wrist at the Hawkeyes' bowl practice on Thursday morning. He is expected to miss the Transperfect Music City Bowl vs. No. 19 Missouri on Monday.
Tyler Elsbury is expected to start in his place.
"I really feel bad for Logan," starting left tackle Mason Richman said on Thursday. "We're all a family, and we feel for Logan."
"It definitely sucks," right tackle Gennings Dunker added. "But that kind of stuff happens. You can't just get on the bus and drive away because Logan is hurt."
Jones earned All-Big Ten honors from the Associated Press this season, and he was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media and earned second-team all-conference honors from the coaches. He was also part of the Hawkeye offensive line that was named to the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll.
Elsbury, also a senior, is expected take Jones' place in the starting lineup. The Byron, Illinois native has played in 49 career games and started five, including two this season.
"I think the only bright side of this is that Logan is coming back and Els can't," Richman said. "Els has been waiting for his moment. He got on the field a few games, and he's had his ups and downs, but I think he's ready for this. He's been dying for this."
As Richman said, Elsbury won't be able to return next season, calling it "beautiful" that the senior OL will get to ride out of Iowa City on a high note, hopefully playing every snap of his final game as a Hawkeye.
"He's just been ready to go at it with the group and help lead us out there as a center," Richman added. "He's a heck of an athlete, a heck of a guy. You can't say a bad thing about him. ... Els has done a good job stepping in his whole career. We expect nothing but the same from him."
