The ISU football team has some holes to fill on the offensive line. Losing Kelechi Osemele and Hayworth Hicks, to the outsider, may raise some question marks.

ISU offensive line coach Bill Bleil, however, believes that with all the competition the offensive line is having this spring, they’re capable to come in and improve what they had last year. 

“I’m awfully excited,” Bleil said. “It’s a good group, they’re excited. We’ve got about seven guys that have got a lot of reps. Any time you can have that situation (competition), you feel good. You’re going to get better every day because everybody knows you’ve got to come to practice or that next guy’s going to take your job.

“We’ve not always been in position to have that [at Iowa State], and we feel good about it.”

With future NFL draft pick Osemele gone, redshirt senior Carter Bykowski finally has his chance to step into the spotlight and fill the big shoes that Osemele left behind. 

“I feel like I got a good amount of experience last year,” Bykowski said. “I’m feeling pretty confident, I feel comfortable. That’s another big thing is I’ve been comfortable out there.”

This will be Bykowski’s first year as a starter at the left tackle position. Last year with the injuries the offensive line had, he was able to get a decent amount of reps in games.

He went on the say that the game experience is invaluable compared to practice because of the difference in the speed of the game. 

“It helps a tremendous amount, you can’t create game speed,” Bykowski said. “It’s the truth. You can practice so hard and once you get out there the game moves so much faster.”

Friday will be the first day of padded practice. The first two practices were a chance to work on the footwork. Now with the pads on, Bykowski is ready to start getting some real reps in. 

“It feels great, everybody is pretty excited, especially with tomorrow being the first day of pads,” he said. “We’re all excited to get out there and start hitting. You can only simulate so much without pads on, but after we get going here it’ll be fun to play some real football.”

Bleil said the group has laughed when talking about the injuries last year and how the team was bringing in young guys to plug the holes on the offensive line. 

“For a couple games there we were raising the kids,” Bleil said. 

Also in competition on the offensive line is redshirt junior Kyle Lichtenburg. He came in and played all 12 games last year for the Cyclones. So far in the spring Bleil has had Lichtenberg taking first team snaps at both the left and right tackle. 

“On scrimmage days he’s going to get equal number one reps and deserves them,” Bleil said. “He’s playing better now than he’s ever played.”

Lichtenberg and Bykowski were roommates last year. During the 2011-12 season, they helped each other last year on the field when the other was off it.

Now there’s no love lost and both of them are fighting for a starting spot for the upcoming season.

“When you’re on the field you’ve got to put all of that stuff behind you,” Lichtenberg said. “I’ve got friends on the defense too, but you can’t think of them as friends on the field.