Previously: Quarterback, Running Back, Receiver

Our series of The Enemy, Ranked 2021 rumbles on to the some of the biggest boys on the field and the offensive lines. Michigan gets a bit lucky this year in not having to draw a traditional OL factory in Iowa, as well as not facing some other pretty good lines for Illinois and Minnesota, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of good OL schools, and lots of good linemen, on the schedule. As a matter of fact, we start with the school that you all knew was coming: 

 

1. Wisconsin 

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Tyler Beach*	Josh Seltzner*	Kayden Lyles*	Jack Nelson	Logan Bruss*
Logan Brown	Cordac Sampson			Trey Wedwig

The Badgers are an OL powerhouse and have been for a long time. This season they return a lot of experience, with Josh Seltzner, Kayden Lyles, and Logan Bruss all locked in at their spots, while Tyler Beach looks set to start at LT. All four of those guys graded out well last season according to PFF, and all four were projected as All-B1G selections on Seth's pre-season selections in HTTV. The one remaining spot looks to be going to Jack Nelson, who the coaching staff is very high on, which means former 5* OT Logan Brown may have to wait another year to start, which goes to show you the depth that this group also has. Wisconsin allowed just 1.71 sacks per game last season, one of the better marks of any P5 school on Michigan's schedule, and returning so much experience, this OL should be even better this year and will likely find its home atop the conference. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: Progressively worse offensive lines]

 

Thayer Munford is still around at LT for OSU [Bryan Fuller]

2. Ohio State

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Thayer Munford*	Harry Miller*	Luke Wyplen	Paris Johnson Jr.	Nicholas Petit-Frere*
Dawand Jones	Josh Fryar	Matthew Jones

For OSU, it all starts with the tackles. The Buckeyes return the best tackle combo in the B1G, and possibly in the entire FBS. Thayer Munford is our next entry in the Perry Ellis Hall of Staying in College Forever, as he is entering year #4 of being a college starter for OSU. While he was shaky back in 2018, he has emerged into an absolute monster at LT, earning 1st team All-B1G honors last season and is a near-lock to do so again if healthy. On the opposite side you have Nicholas Petit-Frere, who you may remember Michigan recruiting once upon a time, and the former 5* has grown into a similarly dominant pass-blocker, earning 2nd team All-B1G honors last year, and he could easily ascend to 1st team this fall.

The inside is a bit more unsettled, as the Buckeyes say goodbye to Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis. Harry Miller looks likely to line up at guard again, where he was just alright in 2020, while they're going to drop former 5* Paris Johnson Jr. at RG and promote RS FR Luke Wypler, who had a strong spring, to center. The gaudy rushing numbers OSU had last season + the dominant tackle tandem is the primary reason for them taking #2 on our list, but we should also acknowledge the excellent track record that this program has at developing NFL offensive linemen. They've got a mix of experience, elite talent, and a history of producing impact players at this position, which slots them towards the front. 

NOTE [Article Update]: Recent practice reports have indicated a bit of a change from this layout, which was the expectation entering fall camp. A new package seems to have emerged with Munford at LG, Miller at C, Johnson at RG, Dawan Jones at RT, and Petit-Frere swinging around to LT. It is unclear if this will be the starting line, but it may be, and would represent a significant departure from the spring expectation. 

 

3. Washington 

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jaxson Kirkland*	Ulumoo Ale*	Luke Wattenberg*	Henry Bainivalu*	Victor Curne*
Matteo Mele				Troy Fautanu

The only team on Michigan's schedule to return all five OL starters from last season is Washington. Jaxson Kirkland is the strength of this unit after being named 1st team All-PAC 12 last season at LT, though Victor Curne at RT actually graded out better on PFF last season. The interior is lined with three guys who all finished with 70+ PFF grades (considered good) and their experience rolling over from last year as a starting unit will no doubt be valuable. While the tackles are rocks in pass-pro, there were some lumps inside, especially from Ulumoo Ale, but as a RS Jr this fall, there is reason to believe Ale can improve. As a unit, the Washington OL only allowed 0.25 sacks per game, although that was helped a bit by Dylan Morris' ability to get the ball out quick, while their rushing game generated 4.52 YPC for the season in a P5 conference. This is a strong group that should only get better over another season playing together and the Huskies will certainly provide a significant test for Michigan's DL in week two of the season. 

 

Rasheed Walker is one of the better LT's in the B1G [PSU Athletics]

4. Penn State 

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Rasheed Walker*	Des Holmes	Mike Miranda*	Juice Scruggs	Caeden Wallace*
	Sal Wormley		Anthony Whigan

PSU is not dissimilar to OSU in that they also boast two terrific returning tackles. Not quite the caliber of Munford/Petit-Frere, but Rasheed Walker was 3rd team All-B1G last season and Caeden Wallace graded out very solidly at RT. Both guys are above-average in pass-pro and run blocking and those two anchors are the strength of the line. Mike Miranda has experience and was an All-B1G selection last year (despite this site's rather unfavorable review of him), but he will be sliding over to center from guard. The two guard spots are being plugged by All-Name Team candidate Juice Scruggs and Des Holmes, both of whom are upperclassmen who have been in the program a while. The question will be whether Scruggs and Holmes can solve the problem that held back PSU's OL last season, which is interior pass rush. The team allowed over 3 sacks per game last season, one of the highest marks of any team on Michigan's schedule, and despite their wealth of talent in the RB room, the YPC clips produced by the RB group were not overly impressive. Will Fries and Michael Menet exit and it will be up to Scruggs and Holmes to improve on them and their performances, something I'm unsure will happen. Last season PSU's line was simply solid and I think it will be somewhere in that ballpark again, with the same issues and strengths it had last year. 

 

5. Northwestern 

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Peter Skoronski*	Josh Priebe	Sam Gerak*	Charlie Schmidt	Ethan Wiederkehr*
	Conrad Rowley		Dom D'Antonio

This series of articles so far has mostly been me turning Northwestern's offense into a piñata to beat up on constantly, but their OL isn't terrible, and that's mostly because of Peter Skoronski. The left tackle was a former highly-touted recruit who started last season at the most important position on the line as a true freshman and earned All-B1G honors and made the Freshman All-American team. Skoronski was truly exceptional, grading out in PFF's numbers as the conference's fourth-best OT and to do it at his young age, with no prior NCAA experience, is mind-blowing. Skoronski is the rock of this OL, but they also return a pair of other starters. Sam Gerak's got two years of experience at center and they're kicking Ethan Wiederkehr out to RT after he started last year at guard. Charlie Schmidt and Josh Priebe are plugging in at the other two spots on the line and while this group was decently inconsistent a year ago, it was still solid. This is roughly where the big drop-off from the upper echelon of the list begins and so I slotted NW in because I like their upside with Skoronski only going to improve as he ages, which is a terrifying concept to think about. 

 

Cam Jurgens is one of Nebraska's returners on the OL [Huskers.com]

6. Nebraska 

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Turner Corcoran	Ethan Piper*	Cam Jurgens*	Matt Sichterman	Bryce Benhart*
	Brent Banks	Trent Hixon

Just as there was a sizable drop off between the top three and then 4-5, there's another big drop off from 4-5 to 6 and beyond. While Northwestern and PSU are both lines that are solid but inconsistent, this next group are teams that all have pretty glaring question marks. I like Nebraska's line because they have a good bit of experience, with three returning starters, and even new LT Turner Corcoran saw time last season and was a high-end recruit. The Husker line last season was plagued by penalties and inconsistency, allowing too much pressure, but they did allow their RB's to run for really nice YPC clips. This group didn't grade out well in PFF's numbers, especially C Cam Jurgens, but they were also young last season. Not a single member of the projected starting OL for this season is a senior and that's why I'm optimistic for improvement here. It's a young, athletic line that will probably have their lumps, but I think they can provide some decent play and may have a higher floor— and ceiling— than some of the next lines on this list. 

 

7. Indiana

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Caleb Jones*	Mike Katic	Zach Carpenter	Dylan Powell*	Matthew Bedford*
	Tim Weaver			Luke Haggard

Indiana's magical 2020 season wasn't perfect across the board, and there were a lot of issues surrounding their offensive line. It's not entirely clear if those problems will be solved. The good news is that they only allowed 1.25 sacks per game last season. The bad news is that that's mostly because Michael Penix Jr. is very good at getting the ball out before he's about to be blasted, something that happened way too often last year. RT Matthew Bedford, who happens to be the most important member of the line because Penix is a lefty and RT is thus the blind-side blocker, is a mashing run blocker but a horrific pass protecter. LT Caleb Jones isn't much better in pass-pro.

The interior of the line is going through some shuffling, with Mike Katic getting some starts last year and he looked okay. We'll see if he's ready to be a starter this fall. Dylan Powell isn't particularly great but will line up at RG, while Old Friend Zach Carpenter transfers in from Michigan and is projected to start at C. While I like the potential of Carpenter and Katic as younger guys, the reason I'm a bit more down on the IU line compared to Nebraska is because they're older and thus seem to have less chance of real improvement this season. Jones is a RS Sr, Powell is a fifth year guy, Bedford is an upperclassman. Can they improve? Possibly, but I wouldn't count it as likely. I see it as another bumpy group that will be alright but will put stress on the QB. 

 

Maryland's OL was only so good at stopping this last year [Paul Sherman]

8. Maryland

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jaelyn Duncan*	Mason Lunsford	Austin Fontaine	Johari Branch*	Spencer Anderson*
		Evan Gregory		Amelio Moran

Maryland is somewhat of a more extreme version of PSU, with the tackles as the strength of the OL and then major issues inside. Jaelyn Duncan was an All-B1G Honorable Mention last season and is rock-solid, the leader on the line. Spencer Anderson isn't bad either and those two tackles do a solid job. It's the interior of the line that's an area for concern. Johari Branch is the only one 2020 starter still standing after transfers sapped this line, and so there will be major inexperience at C and LG. Last year's line already had its issues in allowing over 3 sacks per game, the most of any team on this list, and with new faces plugging into starting roles, it's hard to see the line not holding back the offense to some extent. Locksley's spread system should be built to circumvent some OL troubles (last year they still managed good YPC clips despite the OL issues), but you have to worry about the health of Tagovailoa if pass rush is coming up the middle unobstructed. The strong tackles put the Terps ahead of the next schools on the list, but they have a creaky line overall. 

 

9. Western Michigan

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Wesley French*	Addison West	Mike Caliendo*	Dylan Deathrage*	Mark Brooks*
	Trevor Campbell			Stuart Kettler

This is a very solid group for the MAC, and so I've put them in the top ten just for the heck of it, because it's always difficult to evaluate the MAC vs. the B1G. WMU's OL allowed few sacks and maintained a high YPC clip as a team last season (all in MAC play), and they return four starters off that line. Mike Caliendo was First Team All-MAC last season and has been moved to center, while Wesley French slides out to LT. All four returning starters received solid PFF grades, while RS FR Addison West slides in to the LG role, and I think this should be a really good line within the context of being a mid-major conference. It's just hard for me to rank them higher than roughly equivalent to the really bad B1G lines because they are a MAC school and they played a conference-only schedule last year. So above MSU and Rutgers but no higher than that. 

 

Many of the same characters from 2019 are still on MSU's OL [Bryan Fuller]

10. Michigan State

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jarrett Horst	JD Duplain*	Matt Allen*+	Kevin Jarvis*	AJ Arcuri*
	Matt Carrick	Nick Samac*

The MSU OL for several years now has been like the 2017 Michigan OL (you may recall they killed both Brandon Peters and Wilton Speight and were unable to pick up a stunt the whole season) in perpetuity, with a rotating cast of bodies unable to execute blocks at a competent level and with frequent injuries getting mixed in. The upside is that this group has a ton of experience, with seven different guys having started games. The bad news is that outside of Jarrett Horst, who is a transfer from Arkansas State, the level of play we have seen from this group on the field is very bad, with MSU running for 2.68 yards per carry last season, while pass protection was a major issue. AJ Arcuri and Kevin Jarvis were major culprits last season, and Arcuri is staying at OT (where he graded out very poorly), while Jarvis is being moved inside. Both guys have been terrible through this point in their career, and it's wishful thinking to expect dramatic improvement. 

JD Duplain flashed in run blocking and could be a reason for optimism, but there are pass protection problems. Nick Samac wasn't awful at center and probably has the most promise of anyone on this line, but somehow practice reports show him back behind Matt Allen on the depth chart, who dealt with injuries last year but has been far worse than Samac up to this point. Horst is going to try to be their solution at LT, with the hopes that he can hold up on the blind-side. He was competent in the Sun Belt (3rd team All-Sun Belt in 2019), but obviously there's going to be a sizable talent jump moving to the B1G. Matt Carrick has played some over the years and is middling if he needs to fill in, which, given the OL injury luck MSU has experienced the last three years, feels pretty likely. This will probably be a pretty bad line again. Most of the players starting have been exposed before, and so the prospect of a mostly-the-same OL isn't great when you were a bad OL last year, one that constantly put the QB under pressure and imposed death on your RB's. 

 

11. Rutgers

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Raiqwon O'Neal*	Cedrice Paillant*	Nick Krimin*	Reggie Sutton*	David Nwaogwugwu
	Sam Vretman	Bryant Felter

This line was very bad last year. They get a lot of pieces back, thankfully, but like with MSU, not many of those pieces have proven to actually be good at FBS college football. Also like MSU, they bring in a transfer tackle, reeling in another Name of the Year candidate in David Nwaogwugwu, from Temple. He doesn't have a ton of accolades to speak of but has some starting experience at what's a decent mid-major program (well, before they went 1-6 last year). BryMac was generally high on the potential for Nwaogwugwu in his Rutgers write up in HTTV. The other four pieces are Raiqwon O'Neal, who is an undersized LT who is only okay, Nick Krimin, a veteran center who graded out very poorly in PFF's data, Reggie Sutton, last year's RT who is sliding inside where he should be a better fit, and Cedrice Paillant, a LG that's a major weakspot. Backup Bryant Felter has some experience, but this is mostly the same group that gave up a lot of pressure last season and didn't produce great rushing clips despite having a decent RB room. Maybe another year will bring improvement, but I'm not optimistic about that. 

 

12. Northern Illinois 

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Marques Cox*	John Champe	Brayden Patton*	Logan Zschernitz*	Nolan Potter*
Leif Engstrand			JJ Lippe

This OL is really bad. Though the Huskies return four starters, and have five guys with experience, NIU allowed over two sacks per game and rushed for under 3.5 YPC while playing an All-MAC schedule. Brayden Patton at center is the only real stand out among this group, being named 3rd Team All-MAC last season. The rest of the line graded out very poorly in PFF's data and the overall macro results which I mentioned earlier speak for themselves. If you weren't particularly good in the MAC, and the rest of the list is P5 schools, you're going to wind up #12. NIU is clearly the worst OL on Michigan's schedule.  

 

Andrew Stueber is one of the experienced pieces on Michigan's OL [Bryan Fuller]

Where would Michigan slot in?

This one is really tough for me to answer. I like the possibility of what the OL could be, but there's a lot of uncertainty. Michigan cobbled together two really good lines in 2018 and 2019, but then there was massive regression last season. How much of that is related to COVID/practice restraints and how much of that was injury (both starting tackles lost early in the season), it's tough for me to say. None of the grades Michigan's linemen received last season in either PFF or UFR were particularly kind. A repeat of 2020 Michigan's OL probably would be in the 7-10 range. But based on the high level of talent in the OL room and the track record established from 18-19, I could easily see them slotting in more in the #2-4 range on the list. Of course, the man responsible for those '18-19 lines (Ed Warinner) is no longer around, so that adds to the uncertainty. This positional group may have the biggest boom-or-bust potential on the Michigan team, so it's difficult for me to provide a concrete answer.