Four downs with the offensive line

FOUR DOWNS WITH THE OFFENSIVE LINE

DEPTH CHART (No. 1 and then probables)

LT - Riley Reiff, jr., 6-6, 300; Matt Tobin, jr., 6-6, 290; Andrew Donnel, RS fr., 6-7, 302

*LG - Brandon Scherff, RS fr., 6-5, 310; Matt Tobin, jr., 6-6, 290; Drew Clark, so., 6-4, 288

C - James Ferentz, jr., 6-2, 284; Conor Boffeli, so., 6-5, 290

RG - Adam Gettis, sr., 6-4, 280; Woody Orne, sr., 6-5, 295

RT - Markus Zusevics, sr., 6-5, 300; Brett Van Sloten, so., 6-7, 292

* Preseason starter Nolan MacMillan, so., 6-6, 288, is injured

The Guy

Reiff is the next in a long line of top-flight offensive linemen under Ferentz. Since 2001, nine times has an Iowa offensive lineman earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. Reiff, a preseason All-American candidate, likely will make it 10. He's got a rare blend of size, power and agility coupled with a competitive nasty streak. He has 24 career starts and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year.  Reiff summed up his performance as, "You go out there, you just go 110 percent when you play. There's no looking back."

Under the Radar

James Ferentz boasts more than just the head coach's last name. He's become a technically sound center who can go toe-to-toe with 300-pound nose guards or out-maneuver quicker under-tackles. At 6-2, 284, he's a bit undersized, but he's a leader. He also has a mean streak. "He's extremely smart, has great pride," Iowa offensive line coach Reese Morgan said. "He's a good technician that needs to continue to work on that technique. He's a guy that elevates the performance of the players around him. He does that because of his competitive spirit and competitive drive."

Top Newcomer

Two incoming true freshmen are good enough to make the coaching staff pause before saddling them with red-shirt seasons. Austin Blythe (6-3, 285) and Jordan Walsh (6-4, 260) were ranked among Rivals' top 10 offensive linemen entering this year and chose Iowa over other high-major BCS schools. Both have shown talent and work ethic during the summer and fall camp and have a chance in 2012 to challenge for playing time. That is, if they don't play even earlier.