SEC, Big 10 programs building elite 2024 recruiting classes in the trenches
Winning at the line of scrimmage is paramount at any level of football, but especially when it comes to playing and recruiting at the highest levels of college football. If you needed any more proof of that, look at what Georgia has done in the past two years by dominating at the point of attack en route to consecutive national championships.
The SEC has staked its claim to the country’s elite big men in recent years, but there’s plenty of physical football going on in the Big Ten. And that isn’t changing any time soon. The 2024 recruiting class isn’t as deep along the offensive line as previous years, but there’s a wealth of talent on the defensive side of the ball — especially at the DL and EDGE positions.
Nearly all of the country’s top interior players are off the board by late September, so let’s take a look at what programs have built the biggest and best classes in the trenches with blue-chips at the OT, IOL, DL and EDGE spots.
Georgia, Texas A&M – 8
One of Kirby Smart’s biggest priorities for Georgia in this recruiting cycle was to get bigger along the offensive line, and the Bulldogs have done just that. Their current commits go: 6’7, 371 pounds; 6’6, 365 pounds; 6’5, 345 pounds; 6’7, 335 pounds; 6’5, 315 pounds’ and 6’7, 335 pounds. Five of the six rank as blue-chip prospects. And UGA is not surprisingly getting it done on the defensive line, too. Four-stars Justin Greene, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and Jordan Thomas — along with uber-athletic three-star Quintavius Johnson — make up one of the best DL classes in the country.
Not to be outdone, the folks up in College Station are reeling in elite linemen as well as anyone in the country. The Aggies already have commitments from five-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley and top-75 prospect Dealyn Evans, as well as On3 top-70 prospect Gabriel Reliford. On the offensive side, OL coach Steve Addazio is stacking big bodies with four-stars Isendre Ahfua, Blake Ivy, Ashton Funk, Coen Echols and On3 five-star Weston Davis.
Penn State, Notre Dame – 6
A big reason for James Franklin’s success at Penn State has been his ability to recruit high-level linemen to Happy Valley. But this class might be his best yet when considering what the Nittany Lions are doing on both sides of the ball. On3 top-70 prospect Mylachi Williams and four-star DL T.A. Cunningham headline things on the defensive side, while four-stars Donovan Harbour, Garrett Sexton, Cooper Cousins and Liam Andrews make up arguably the nation’s best offensive line class from top to bottom.
Much of the same can be said for Notre Dame, which has prioritized the big heavies up front under Marcus Freeman. Projected On3 five-star Guerby Lambert is the latest addition to a great OL cycle for the Irish, joining four-stars Anthonie Knapp, Peter Jones and Styles Prescod. Defensively, a pair of highly ranked EDGE prospects — Bryce Young and Loghan Thomas — lead the way.
Florida, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas – 5
Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning have known one thing as they both prepare to lead their schools into the SEC and Big Ten, respectively: they need more big bodies. Texas has addressed that in consecutive classes, recently landing five-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker and Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons in the past three months. Combined with four-star IOL Daniel Cruz and four-star defensive linemen D’antre Robinson and Zina Umeozulu, the Longhorns are building an elite class on both sides of the trenches.
In Eugene, Lanning took over a roster that was severely lacking in defensive linemen and pass rusher. One of his first priorities was fixing that, and in the 2023 cycle, he signed 11 prospects who projected to play along the defensive line or at the EDGE spot. He has followed that up in 2024 with three more commitments, including four-stars Xadavien Sims and Jaxson Jones, along with high three-star Tionne Gray. They’re also trending heavily to land four-star Fairfield (Calif.) Armijo defensive lineman Jericho Johnson.
Tennessee and Florida have both highlighted the need for elite players up front too, landing five commitments apiece. The Gators’ class features four front-four players ranked among the top-400 of the On3 Industry Ranking, while Tennessee boasts five-star EDGE Jordan Ross and a strong offensive line group that includes a trio of four-stars.
South Carolina, Michigan – 4
Like Lanning and Sarkisian, Shane Beamer took over a South Carolina program that was woefully inept in the trenches when it came to talent and depth. The Gamecocks addressed that by signing 13 players (including transfers) who projected to play along the OL and DL in the last cycle. Numbers are down a bit this year, but the quality is not. Not only did Beamer and Co. land Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Dylan Stewart, but they’ve also pulled On3 five-star OT Josiah Thompson, top-100 OT Kam Pringle and top-150 EDGE Wendell Gregory.
Up in Ann Arbor, Jim Harbaugh’s calling card has been his program’s development of offensive and defensive linemen. Any program (outside of maybe Georgia) would be hard-pressed to argue they’re better in that area than the Wolverines. This cycle, UM has had some troubles along the defensive line, but their offensive line class is as stout as anyone’s.
Sherrone Moore has commitments from two of the country’s top 13 offensive tackles — Andrew Sprague and Blake Frazier — as well as four-star interior lineman Luke Hamilton. On defense, four-star EDGE Devon Baxter leads the way for Michigan’s top-15 class.