Top Of The Charts: Offensive Line

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We make a pivot as we finish up the offensive side of the ball and instead of picking out players, when it comes to offensive line, it is about the unit. The Joe Moore Award is an award given out for the unit and while there are individual offensive line awards, I would rather have the better starting five than the better starting one.

The Buckeyes will have to make some adjustments this season, but this may be one of the deeper years in Columbus (Ohio) when it comes to the position and while the elusive Joe Moore Award may not reside in Columbus after the 2025 season, it very well could.

No, this is about who Ohio State is facing this season and the usual suspects are there. If Northwestern or UCLA were on these lists, we would be talking a lot more about them over the course of the offseason.

But they aren’t. And we aren’t.

Which offensive line units will provide the biggest challenges. Not only for Ohio State but for the rest of the Big Ten as we open this up to anyone on Ohio State’s upcoming schedule. Spoiler Alert, Grambling and Ohio U. are not on the list.

5. Wisconsin (October 18^th)

Just a few years ago, Wisconsin’s inclusion on this list would have been a no-brainer but this year I feel as if I am making a reach, mostly because this Wisconsin team has no identity as of late. Players like Jake Renfro, Joe Brunner and Riley Mahlman are back at three key positions but who plays left tackle? Who steps up at right guard? Would Minnesota or Washington been safer picks to put on here? Only time will tell. I don’t have a ton of conviction in picking Wisconsin, but too late to reverse course now.

4. Michigan (November 29^th)

This pick is a potential pick rather than a selection based on a lot of returners. Giovanni Ed-Hadi is probably the biggest known name coming back but this line will really be determined by transfers (Brady Norton) as well as true freshmen including Andrew Babalola and Avery Gach. The reality is that the Michigan offensive lines have been above average the past couple of years and that has created issues for the Buckeyes in the annual edition of ‘The Game’. Now, I could go off about some of Ohio State’s strategies going into said game, but I am not here to relitigate the past, rather to talk about the future and that future needs to include some different outcomes when it comes to the last Saturday of November.

3. Texas (August 30^th)

This will largely be a new unit but if there is a program that can do that and remain near the top of the pack, it is Texas. Cole Hutson is the main guy with 13 starts while Trevor Goosby has legit playing time on his record. But outside of that, don’t look at the portal, Texas went all in at ‘defensive tackle’ rather than ‘offensive tackle’ or ‘offensive anything’ when it comes to line play. Now, the Horns missing four players all went to the NFL and nobody should be shedding any tears for them, but this unit, while it should be talented, will look very different than a year past, especially the team that Ohio State beat in the CFP semis.

2. Illinois (October 11^th)

Illinois is doing something that most teams can’t, returning all five starters from the line. Now, that is great now, but will it be great next year when most of these starters are gone? You can’t worry about 2026 when you have 2025 to contend with. Let’s not forget that Bret Bielema is all about line play and while it looks like Bret could still line up (didn’t say play well) and play, fortunately for the Illini, that won’t be necessary. Now, experience doesn’t always equal results, so this unit will need to step up and play better and more consistent, especially as Illinois won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year as one of the dark horse contenders to win the Big Ten.

1. Penn State (November 1^st)

Penn State is only returning four of its five starters, so Illinois has that beat, but Penn State is returning 65 combined starts and more than 3,500 snaps of offensive line play. So, there may not be a truly more experienced unit in the conference. We are going to hear a lot about how Penn State returns this and that, but they are players who have not beat Ohio State or Michigan, so there is always that. Penn State brings the deepest known running back room in the league and maybe the nation and while Drew Allar at quarterback has had some challenges along the way, a veteran quarterback makes an offensive line look better and vice versa. It all lines up ‘right’ for Penn State on paper but the game is never played on paper and if James Franklin is going to see his team finally become elite, it is all going to start up front.

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