Logan Jones is expected to miss the Music City Bowl

“I feel really sorry for Logan,” starting left tackle Mason Richman said Thursday. “We are all family and we feel for Logan.”

“It definitely sucks,” right tackle Gennings Dunker added. “But things like that happen. You can’t just get on the bus and drive away because Logan’s hurt.”

Jones earned All-Big Ten honors from the Associated Press this season, was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media and received second-team All-Conference honors from the coaches. He was also part of the Hawkeye offensive line that was named to the midseason Joe Moore Award Honor Roll.

Elsbury, also a senior, is expected to take Jones’ place in the starting lineup. The Byron, Illinois native has appeared in 49 career games and started five, including two this season.

“I think the only good thing about this is that Logan is coming back and Els isn’t,” Richman said. “Els was waiting for his moment. He’s been on the field for a few games and had his ups and downs, but I think he’s ready for it. He died for it.”

As Richman said, Elsbury won’t be able to return next season and called it “nice” that the senior OL can leave Iowa City on a high note and hopefully play every snap of his final game as a Hawkeye.

“He was just ready to get going with the group and help us lead out there as a center,” Richman added. “He’s a hell of an athlete, a hell of a guy. You can’t say anything bad about him. … Els has done good work throughout his career. We expect nothing but the same from him.”