College Football: 2010 BYU Offensive Line Preview

The start of fall camp is less than two weeks away for the BYU Cougars. Today we begin a 9-part series over the next several days, breaking down the 2010 Cougar football team position by position.

We begin by covering what is considered the number one strength of this year’s team, the offensive line. With four returning starters and a legitimate All-American candidate at left tackle, BYU enters the season with one of the best offensive lines in the country. The only question up front is who will take over at the center position vacated by R.J. Willing.

Here’s how the Cougar O-Line breaks down.

Tackle

All-American candidate Matt Reynolds may be one of the top two or three left tackles in next years NFL draft if he decides to come out early after this season. Meaning the 6'6", 329 pound junior could well be a first round pick in 2011.

He is a also serious contender for this year’s Outland Trophy. If he were to win it, he would become the third Cougar to take home the award. He has been named to the Lombardi Trophy preseason list as well.

Reynolds has terrific feet, great hands, and has been one of the top offensive linemen in the Mountain West Conference ever since he stepped onto the field as a freshman. Reynolds will play a huge role for BYU this season, protecting the blind side of his new quarterback.

Nick Alletto started 11 games last year at right tackle and was the second, less heralded piece of  BYU’s bookend duo with Reynolds. Identical to Reynolds in size at 6'6", 329 pounds, the senior from Parker, Colorado will team with Matt once again if he doesn’t moved to guard in 2010.

6'6", 280-pound sophomore Braden Brown made the successful transition from tight end to tackle last year. He appeared in 12 of 13 games last year, starting two games in place of the injured Aletto. Brown has really come into his own this offseason and may be in a position to threaten Alleto for the starting job. He still needs to add size to his frame, but he is a terrific athlete on the offensive line. He has a bright future as a Cougar.

Guard

Braden Hansen started every game at left guard last year as a freshman and earned multiple freshman All-America honors. He and Reynolds are one of the best starting left sides in college football entering 2010. The 6'6", 300 pound former Alta High star is a great athlete and if he is not moved out to tackle at some point in his BYU career, he should have the left guard position locked down for years to come.

Terance Brown started every game at right guard last year and developed into a force at the position. Terance is a surprisingly good athlete for a man that checks in at 6'3", 340 pounds. The junior from Summerville, South Carolina should continue to develop into a dominant player during 2010. Brown also saw significant reps at center this spring and could end up starting there and snapping the ball to BYU’s new quarterback this fall.

Marco Thorson is a valuable asset to the Cougar offensive line as “Moose” can play either guard position as well as center. The 6'3", 321 pound junior played well last year in spot duty and saw action in 12 games.

Center

Jason Speredon is another candidate to start at center. The 6'5", 313 pound senior was expected to start at guard last year before suffering a season-ending rotator cuff injury in fall camp. If he stays healthy this year, he could bring senior leadership and experience at either center or guard.

Also expect to see competition at the center position from redshirt freshman Houston Reynolds . He missed all of last season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during fall camp, but there is every reason to believe that the 6'2", 303 pound frosh will continue the Reynolds family tradition by developing into a fine offensive lineman at BYU.

Depth

Brad Wilcox is a promising young player that begins his Cougar career at tackle. He went on a mission before enrolling at BYU and returned in time for spring ball. The 6'7", 265 pound freshman played at North High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. The BYU coaches love his wing span and mobility, but he needs to put on some weight to effectively play the position.

Euless Trinity High star Manaaki Vaitai returns from his mission in time for fall camp. The 6'3", 300 pound redshirt freshman guard has the talent to contribute this year depending on mission rust.

Walter Kahaialii is another player returning home in time for fall camp. Again depending on how he shakes of the mission rust, the 6'4", 320 pound Hawaiian could contribute this year. He saw action as a freshman before his mission and BYU coaches expect big things from Walter in the future.

At 6′8″ tall, Michael Yeck is another freshman returned missionary lineman that BYU coaches are eager to get into camp. At 260 pounds, Yeck has a lot of weight to gain. It will be interesting to watch his development over the next couple of years.

Freshman coming in from high school on the offensive line include—Blair Tushaus, Manu Mulitalo, Tuni Kanuch and Jordan Black.