Size Matters: College Football’s Biggest Offensive Linemen of 2020

It’s time once again for our annual trek through the FBS while focusing on the BIG question.

Where’s the beef?

if you venture back to 2014, the average offensive line starter in the FBS was 6’4.3″ tall and weighed 302.1 lbs per man. In 2018, the average size was 6’3.3″ and hit the scales at 305.4 lbs. The 2020 version is 6’4.35″ per offensive line starter while the weight only keeps rising, now at 306.6 per man.

How does the average correlate with the preseason top 25? Let’s take a look.

1 Ohio State 6’4 312.4 lbs.
2 Clemson 6’3.8″ 303 (notably below average)
3 Alabama 6’5.2″ 326.2
4 Oklahoma 6’5.4″ 331.2
5 Texas A&M 6’5 316.6
6 Georgia 6’4.4″ 321
7 Oregon 6’5.6″ 325.8
8 Penn State 6’4.4″ 315.2
9 Notre Dame 6’5.6″ 310.4
10 Florida 6’4.8″ 319.6
11 LSU 6’6″ 331.8 (see note below)
12 Miami 6’3.8″ 301.2 (below average)
13 Texas 6’5.6″ 317
14 North Carolina 6’5″ 320
15 Oklahoma State 6’5″ 320
16 UCF 6’5 306 (slightly under average)
17 Wisconsin 6’4.6″ 315.8
18 Va. Tech 6’4.2″ 314.6
19 USC 6’4.2″ 306 (slightly under)
20 Michigan 6’5.6″ 314.6
21 Memphis 6’4″ 304.4 lbs (below average)
22 Auburn 6’3.6″ 315.6
23 Iowa 6’4 302.6 lbs(below average)
24 Boise State 6’4.8″ 301 (below)
25 Indiana 6’5 321.8

The most since we’ve started tracking, six of the Top 25 fall below the national average.

If you remove guard Anthony Bradford, slide Chasen Hines over from center and insert graduate trasnfer Liam Shanahan to center (as expected by many for the eventual starting lineup at this juncture), LSU’s average drops to 6’5.6″ and weighs 322.8 pounds per starter.

Now, let’s look at the HEAVYWEIGHT division. which teams are the biggest in the land?

1 Minnesota 6’6.2″ 340 lbs. (need some big oars to for P.J. Fleck to ‘Row the Boat’)
2 LSU 6’6 331.8
3 Oklahoma 6’5.4″ 331.6
4 Alabama 6’5.2″ 326.2
5 Oregon 6’5.6″ 325.8
6 Washington 6’5.4″ 325
7 Indiana 6’5 321.8
8 Tennessee 6’5 321.8
9 Florida 6’4.8″ 321.8
10 Marshall 6’4.6″ 321.6
11 Georgia 6’4.4″ 321
12 Tulsa 6’3.8″ 320.4
13 North Carolina 6’5 320
14 Oklahoma State 6’5 320
15 Kentucky 6’5.2″ 319.6
16 South Florida 6’4.4″ 319
17 West Va. 6’3.8″ 318.4
18 Ole Miss 6’3.8″ 318.2
19 UNLV 6’3.2″ 318
20 Kansas State 6’3.8″ 317.2
21 Texas 6’5.6″ 317
22 Wyoming 6’5.2″ 316.6
23 Texas A&M 6’5 316.6
24 UAB 6’4 316
25 Wisconsin 6’4.6″ 315.8

There have been a few schools that have made a dramatic jump from 2014 to the present while others experienced a ‘shrinking’ overall.

Minnesota made the biggest leap from 313 pounds per man in 2014 to 340 now. Alabama averaged 312 in ’14 but now stand 326.2 per starter. Oklahoma was 318.8 then but a massive 331.6 in 2020.

Programs that shrunk:

Ole Miss was 334.2 in ’14, now 318.2
Arkansas 324, now 302.8
Louisville 318.6 to now a much sleeker 298.4
Miami 314.8 down to 301.2
North Texas 316.6 then, 299.6 now

How does the state of Louisiana SIZE up in the offesnive trenches?

LSU 6’6″ 331.8 lbs.
La. Tech 6’3.8″ 315.6 lbs.
Tulane 6’4.2″ 309 lbs.
ULM 6’5 303.2 lbs.
ULL 6’4 302.6 lbs.

Some of the heftiest in the state include the afforemented Anthony Bradford, who checks in at 6’7″ 355. His LSU teammates on the defensive line bring the beef at nose tackle with Apu Ika (6’4″ 354) and Tyler Shelvin (6’3″ 346) defining players who can really plug up the middle. LSU freshman offensive tackle Thomas Perry (6’6″ 341) is no light-weight either.

Transfers from the Bengal Tigers who strike imposing figures include La. Tech senior guard Donovaughn Campbell (6’4″ 351) and tackle Willie Allen (6’6″ 343). ULL nose tackle Tayland Humphrey (6’5″ 350) and freshman backup Quintan Cobb (6’5″ 340) compare to their counterparts with the Tigers while right guard O’Cyrus Torrence (6’5″ 342) steps into the lineup to replace a pair of Ragin’ Cajuns who are now in the NFL.

The biggest player in Louisiana high school football is Mandeville tackle Mackey Maillho (6’8″ 355), who committed last week to the Cajuns for ’21.

Now a look at some of the biggest linemen around the country:

Minnesota So. RT Daniel Faalele (6’9″ 400)
Minnesota So. FRG Curtis Dunlap (6’5″ 345)
Florida So. RG Ethan White (6’5″ 370)
Kentucky Sr. NT Quintan Cunningham (6’4″ 367)
Kentucky Jr. NT Marquan McCall (6’3″ 369)
Ole Miss So. LG Jalen Cunningham (6’4″ 365)
Oklahoma So. LG Darrell Simpson (6’7″ 359)
UCLA Jr. RG Antonio Mafi (6’3″ 363)
Oregon So. RT Steven Jones (6’7″ 354)
Ohio State So. OT Dawand Jones (6’8″ 359)
Alabama Jr. LT Evan Neal (6’7″ 360)
Florida Sr. DT Tedarrell Slaton (6’5″ 358)
Marshall Sr. LT Josh Ball (6’8″ 350)
Texas Tech redshirt freshman OT Trevor Roberson (6’11” 350)

If you were wondering which programs rely on agility and quickness over raw size on the o-line, we have that for you:

1 Navy 6’2.6″ 274.8
2 Air Force 6’3″ 284
3 Appalachian State 6’3″ 285
4 Central Michigan 6’4″ 285.2
5 Rice Owls 6’3.2″ 288.8
6 Army 6’3.8″ 289
7 Coastal Carolina 6’2″ 292
8 Arizona State 6’4″ 292.8
9 San Jose State 6’3.2″ 293.8
10 UConn 6’4.2″ 296.6

As for the smallest players in today’s FBS, sophomore deep snapper Peyton Yanagi from Oregon is 5’9″ and 191.

The smallest offensive lineman is Navy starting senior left tackle Kurt Stengel (6’4″ 256).

A super mini returning leading receiver at Oregon State, junior Champ Flemings (5’5″ 142) had 32 grabs for 457 yards and three scores last season.