Projecting the Top O-Lines for the 2026 CFB Season

Winning games without an elite offensive line is possible, but a rock-solid blocking unit is often the cornerstone of top college football teams.

In last season's national championship matchup, for example, Indiana and Miami both boasted a spectacular group up front. Indiana kept Fernando Mendoza clean all season, and Miami seemed to push every pile forward.

Those are two strong examples for teams to emulate in 2026.

The choices are subjective but consider past production (including transfers) and personal expectations for the 2026 season.

Offseason Projection Series

Secondaries
Wide Receivers
Quarterbacks
Linebackers

BYU Cougars

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While Texas Tech's quarterback picture remains unsettled, BYU stands as a strong contender to derail the Red Raiders' hopes of a second straight Big 12 title.

This offensive line is a valuable reason why.

In front of quarterback Bear Bachmeier, the Cougars return three starters. That group includes center Bruce Mitchell—a first-team All-Big 12 selection—right guard Kyle Sfarcioc and right tackle Andrew Gentry.

Washington transfer Paki Finau made a strong case at left tackle this spring, and Sonny Makasini was a regular at left guard in 2025.

Even if someone else leaps Makasini on the depth chart, experienced depth is a great problem for BYU to have.

Georgia Bulldogs

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Georgia wants to build a physical, run-first identity.

Last season, that didn't exactly happen. Although the running game put up decent overall stats, the Dawgs lacked efficiency on the ground. They are hoping in 2026 that familiarity offers a boost.

Veteran tackle Earnest Greene III is shifting from the right side to the left, where he'll align next to guard Dontrell Glover. Second-team All-SEC center Drew Bobo is back, and Juan Gaston is poised for a full season at right tackle.

The final starting spot is trending toward Zykie Helton, a 3-star freshman with an early hold on the vacancy at right guard.

Gunner Stockton will be well-protected in his second year as UGA's QB.

Indiana Hoosiers

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Led by standout left tackle Carter Smith, three members of Indiana's championship offensive line are back in 2026.

Smith, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, is a penned-in starter to protect Josh Hoover's blind side. Bray Lynch is expected to slide from right guard to center, while Drew Evans sticks at guard.

Completing the lineup, Wisconsin transfer Joe Brunner is a favorite at guard with Adedamola Ajani—a flexible rotational piece in last season's unit—likely earning a spot at right tackle.

Indiana needs to build some depth, but it's easy to trust the rapid development already seen under Curt Cignetti's staff.

Missouri Tigers

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Cayden Green

Indiana received a jolt of confidence when Smith passed up the 2026 NFL draft, and Missouri experienced the same when Cayden Green stayed in town.

The hulking left tackle is aiming to build on a profile that includes a second-team All-SEC pick. Green is the backbone of Mizzou's line, which returns right guard Curtis Peagler and is moving left guard Dominick Giudice to center.

Now, yes, there is a fair bit of prediction here.

Arizona State transfer Josh Atkins probably will start at right tackle when healthy, but he might not be ready in Week 1. His injury has opened a chance for Logan Reichert or Luke Work to start. Tristan Wilson and Zack Owens are battling to start at left guard, as well. This is not a completed group.

But after watching Mizzou lead the SEC in rushing last season, having a seasoned core to help a couple of newcomers is an encouraging outlook.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

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Undoubtedly the boldest pick of the group, Nebraska hasn't played anywhere near this level in recent years.

However, if the Matt Rhule Program-Building Plan follows its historical trend, a significant jump is clearly possible for the Cornhuskers in 2026. Up front, at least, stature will not be a problem.

Left tackle Elijah Pritchell and center Justin Evans are the returning starters. Three transfers—Paul Mubenga, Brendan Black and Tree Babalade—are expected to round out Nebraska's first-string group. All five of those linemen are listed at 6'2" or taller and 315-plus pounds.

Execution is most important, of course, but that's an imposing, experienced unit in front of dual-threat quarterback Anthony Colandrea.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Although the best units for Notre Dame are probably on the other side of the ball, its offensive line is looking awfully strong, too.

The asterisk? Health.

Starting center Ashton Craig is recovering from an ACL tear, and possible tackle Charles Jagusah is dealing with a lingering arm injury. Having those two players at full strength is key to ND's upside.

Anthonie Knapp played well at left tackle in 2025, but he's moved inside to guard because of Will Black's emergence. Conversely, right guard Guerby Lambert has bumped out to right tackle—and Sullivan Absher is set to replace him.

Absher and Joe Otting both stepped in as injury replacements last season, so ND essentially has six starting-level blockers plus Black on the 2026 roster.

The trick is getting, and staying, healthy.

Tennessee Volunteers

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Breaking in a new, inexperienced signal-caller will be a major challenge. The bright side for Tennessee is the group in front of that eventual QB1.

Sam Pendleton served as the center in 2025, so the Volunteers will have a veteran voice commanding the unit. David Sanders Jr., a recent top recruit, is shifting from the right side to replace All-SEC left tackle Lance Heard.

From here, it gets interesting—in a good way.

Wendell Moe Jr., Jesse Perry and Shamurad Umarov each opened a majority of games in 2025, but UT might only be able to start two of them. LSU transfer Ory Williams has become the favorite at right tackle, where Perry can play if needed.

Throw in versatile West Virginia transfer Donovan Haslam, and the Vols boast an important blend of experience and positional flexibility in their O-line.

USC Trojans

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Alani Noa

Heading into a critical season for Lincoln Riley's perception at USC, the Trojans have plenty of confidence in their offense.

As with rival Notre Dame, though, some injury luck wouldn't hurt!

USC cycled through nine blockers out of pure necessity last year. Despite only yielding 15 sacks, it was a challenging season—yet it also created a more experienced group to protect Jayden Maiava in 2026.

Elijah Paige, Tobias Raymond, Killian O'Connor, Alani Noa and Justin Tauanuu have all logged significant snaps. While they could be the starting five (in some positional order), Elijah Vaikona, Aaron Dunn and freshmen Keenyi Pepe and Breck Kolojay are in the picture, too.

USC's success won't be measured on whether this offensive line is an elite unit, but that ceiling exists for this group.