The Midwest state of Iowa has a unique collection of claims to fame.

Endless miles of cornfields.

Their renowned State Fair.

The beloved Field of Dreams.

And in the eyes of Stamps fans, could Julian Good-Jones become Iowa’s greatest export since … sliced bread? After all, it, too, is associated with the Hawkeye State, invented in the city of Davenport back in 1928.

Good-Jones, a born-and-bred Iowan, is just a few weeks away from beginning his second season with the Stampeders after an impressive start to his CFL career. The Cedar Rapids native played collegiately for the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, roughly 90 minutes from his hometown.

Other than some summers spent with family in Oregon and a few months auditioning for NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Good-Jones hadn’t settled far from his roots until coming to Calgary.

“It’s pretty much all I know,” said the offensive lineman. “For me, I just really appreciate the state of Iowa and staying close to home. I have a good foundation here and a really tight-knit group with some coaches at Iowa State, so it’s really good to always be around them.”

He earned the starting right tackle job coming out of last year’s training camp, taking over the spot previously occupied by the since-departed Nila Kasitati. Under the watchful eye of offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Pat DelMonaco, all eight of Good-Jones’ appearances were starts, including in three consecutive wins heading into the playoffs.

“I think the biggest thing for the offensive line is the one-yard neutral zone,” detailed the 25-year-old when asked about adapting to the Canadian game. “I think I’m better acclimated towards that now and better understand the angles that are necessary to take and obviously I have a whole year of understanding the playbook. Pat is a really good coach who’s really knowledgeable and every day I take what I can learn from him. He’s really all about the details, so every Day 1 of meetings, we’re going through the whole install – passes, screens, runs, first downs and second downs. I really appreciate the attention to detail about him.”

Regarding off-the-field knowledge, Good-Jones is looking forward to learning his surroundings after COVID-19 restrictions made it difficult to explore the city, especially considering he was a rookie. He already has July’s Calgary Stampede circled on his calendar.

Two of Good-Jones’ most important responsibilities will once again be pass-protecting for Bo Levi Mitchell and run-blocking for Ka’Deem Carey. His play will therefore remain under the microscope as the starting quarterback and primary tailback directly depend on his performance.

“Those are two awesome guys and they’re competitors who are really serious about winning and perfecting their craft,” praised Good-Jones, who in January had his contract extended through 2023.

“They make it easy to talk football because you can grab them at any time if you have a question about a certain protection or blocking scheme. They really want to be great and win a championship.”

Asked about goals for his first 18-game season, he quickly circled back to hoisting the silver chalice.

“Just the Grey Cup,” he immediately declared. “It’s our time. I feel like we were making a great push last year at the end of the season and obviously came up short against Saskatchewan in the playoffs, but it’s a game of inches. I think we can take that next step this year.”