Just 10 days remain until the Cyclone Gridiron Club Spring Game, and the big guys up front are handling practice like it’s business as usual.

It may still be April and months away from attempting to repeat postseason success from 2009, but offensive line coach Bill Bleil feels like his group is ready to repeat its own success as the highly-regarded front line of a tough football team.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys that have played a lot of reps that are really smart in there, and they make great decisions for us,” Bleil said.

“I think we can be better than we were a year ago. They’re pushing themselves hard enough, they come to learn every day and they come to work every day.”

The departure of All-Big 12 center Reggie Stephens could have proved a tough task for Iowa State up front, but with proven leadership in Alex Alvarez and Ben Lamaak, Bleil feels like progress is being made each day.

“You lose Reggie Stephens you’re worried there’s going to be a drop-off, but we slid Ben in to center, and he’s a great leader,” Bleil said.

“In all honesty, we have not lost anything. We’ve got some guys behind them — and it has really given us some quality depth.”

Lamaak and Alvarez bring starting experience back to the line for another season, and so do all the current depth chart-topping O-linemen, Kelechi Osemele, Brayden Burris and Scott Haughton.

All five started games for coach Paul Rhoads last season, and with Burris being the only one of the group to not start all 13 games, acting clueless in spring ball doesn’t seem to be a problem.

“A year ago you wanted every line call made, so I know that they know,” Bleil said.

“Not it’s not as important because a lot of the things are givens. Because of that, it really helps them. They’re good kids, and they want to be good.”

Boasting the Big 12’s third-leading rushing attack and only 16 sacks all season in 2009 won’t be easy to duplicate, but with strength coaches Yancy McKnight and Clayton Oyster getting major credit for improving the team physically, all the experience in between the earholes should make them tougher mentally as well.

“The easiest way to improve is to eliminate mental errors,” Bleil said.

“The guys are year bigger, faster and stronger, so I think they’re playing with better pad-level than they were, and a year in the weight room with Yancy helps any of these kids.”

Lamaak started 13 games at right guard a year ago, and the switch to center in a shotgun heavy system like Iowa State runs can be intimidating.

Entering his fourth year of action in the cardinal and gold and feeling healthy at 315 pounds, being intimidated isn’t really Lamaak’s forte.

“I’m just trying to get better every day, coach Bleil is a great teacher and he’s putting me in a situation to be successful,” Lamaak said.

“After a few days [of snapping], I think I got the hang of it.”

Other moves for the offensive line included moving Haughton inside full-time, and Burris out to tackle.

Size, even for a Big 12 offensive line, was the hallmark of 2009’s squad, and quarterbacks Austen Arnaud and Jerome Tiller can’t be too upset about the familiarity and size returning again — even if Osemele has reportedly cut down nearly 13 percent body fat since last season.

Former tight end Carter Bykowski has made a move to tackle with his 6-foot-7-inch frame, and Bleil also spoke highly of the progress made by redshirt freshman Kyle Lichtenberg, of Bettendorf.

“In practice I’ve moved Kyle to guard just because he can, and that allows Carter Bykowski to get some extra reps,” Bleil said of the young reserve linemen.

“Kyle’s probably right now our second tackle, but Carter’s coming on, and, my gosh, he’s going to be bigger than a barn,”

Pads came on a few weeks ago for the Cyclones, and the team will really strap it up in just a week and half in front of a crowd at Jack Trice Stadium.

April doesn’t come with the fanfare of tailgating and football commercials that fall does, but this team works year-round and the linemen seem motivated to go.

“We’re getting closer to game day every day, and that spring game. It’s just a chance for us to get better and develop as a team,” Lamaak said.

The scrimmage is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 17.