Best of the best: Top offensive line classes from 2020 cycle
National Signing Day has come and gone. Recruiting classes are all but finished and the results are ready to be dissected. Today, Rivals position-by-position look at the 2020 cycles continues with the country’s top offensive line classes.
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1. GEORGIA
The Bulldogs put together the nation’s best offensive line class, but there was some perceived drama down the stretch that really could have dismantled this class quickly. Until the final days, five-star offensive tackle Broderick Jones, No. 1 at his position in the 2020 class, was flirting with Auburn and he took visits to Arkansas and Illinois. Until he cancelled a final weekend visit to The Plains, his recruitment stayed interesting.
Top-rated center Sedrick Van Pran was also seriously considering Florida late in his recruitment, but decided to stick with Georgia, where he committed in August. When former offensive line coach Sam Pittman left to take the head coaching job at Arkansas, five-star Tate Ratledge might have quickly considered others but shut down his recruitment to stick with the Bulldogs.
Add in four-star Chad Lindberg and three-star recruits Austin Blaske and Devin Willock and no team can top Georgia’s class.
2. CLEMSON
The beauty of Clemson’s recruiting is that the Tigers usually lock up their top prospects early, don’t play games, steer clear of drama and have a boring old signing day where some of the elite players in the country sign on the dotted line and move on.
That was pretty much the case in the 2020 class as the Tigers loaded up on the offensive line, led by high four-star OT Walker Parks, who was committed since October of his junior year.
The third- and fourth-best offensive guards in Paul Tchio and Mitchell Mayes, respectively, were in the class as well and don’t forget four-stars John Williams and Bryn Tucker, who Clemson snatched away from Knoxville (Tenn.) Knoxville Catholic. Three-star Trent Howard was a December addition to round out the class.
3. OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes loaded up on the inside and outside of the offensive line and almost all of the work was secured before last season as five of the six signees made their commitments early.
No pledge was bigger than five-star offensive tackle Paris Johnson, Jr., who has the size and physical toughness to be a five-star and he should be a special player in the coming years in Columbus and beyond. Johnson is joined by three-stars Trey Leroux and Grant Toutant at tackle.
On the interior, four-star center Luke Wypler leads the way and he’s joined by three-star center Josh Fryar and three-star guard Jakob James.
4. TEXAS A&M
Coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff did a phenomenal job loading up with interior offensive linemen especially as the Aggies signed the top-two guards in the class in four-stars Chris Morris and Akinola Ogunbiyi.
It is the first time that one team has signed the top-two guards in a class since 2017 when Ohio State landed Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers and that’s worked out well for the Buckeyes.
Joining Morris and Ogunbiyi in Texas A&M’s offensive line class is 6-foot-5, 311-pound guard Smart Chibuzo and 6-foot-4, 325-pound three-star guard Joshua Bankhead as the beef is undoubtedly headed to College Station.
5. STANFORD
There is a valid debate to be had whether Stanford or Oklahoma deserves the fifth spot, but we sided with the Cardinal especially because of five-star offensive tackle Myles Hinton. Stanford went across the country to Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian and the Cardinal even won out for his services with his brother, Chris, playing at Michigan. Hinton was massive and dominant at the All-American Bowl and he should shine in Stanford’s offense.
The surrounding cast is talented as well with four-stars Connor McLaughlin, Drake Metcalf and Levi Rogers, who could be one of the overall sleepers in the entire 2020 class, leading the way. Three-star James Pogorelc was a late January addition who could also pan out.