CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position
NSD BY POSITION: QB | RB | WR | TE
National Signing Day has come and gone. Recruiting classes are mostly finished and the results are ready to be dissected. Today, Rivals.com's position-by-position look at the 2019 cycle moves forward with the country’s top offensive line classes.
1. ALABAMA
Signed: Pierce Quick, Evan Neal, Darrian Dalcourt, Amari Kight, Tanner Bowles
Alabama may have fallen just short of winning the recruiting title for 2019, but it certainly pieced together the most impressive offensive line haul. Nick Saban and company won the Neal sweepstakes. That’s a top-10 prospect in the class and the No. 1 offensive tackle. The Tide further replenished their pass pro with a pair of Rivals250 prospects from in-state -- Quick and Kight. Both were ranked inside the top-10 in Alabama. They also found an intriguing developmental tackle in Bowles and landed the No. 3 center Dalcourt.
It’s the Tide’s best offensive line group since 2017 when it added five-stars Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills, who started up front through the team’s run to the national championship game.
2. TENNESSEE
Signed: Darnell Wright, Melvin McBride, Chris Akporoghene, Wanya Morris, Jackson Lampley
The Vols signed their best class since 2015 and reeled in their first five-star since 2016 this year. This cycle’s five-star was Wright, who gave the Tennessee staff a very good reason to celebrate on National Signing Day. Wright put the exclamation point on a 2019 class in which the three highest-ranked prospects and four of the top five were all offensive linemen. Wright, a top-20 prospect in the country, has a chance to take Trey Smith’s spot at left tackle away. The same goes for Morris, a one-time five-star tackle that could compete to be the bookend opposite Wright.
While two of Tennessee’s signees are likely bound to be immediate contributors, the team also landed a top-40 tackle in Akporoghene to develop behind them at tackle and kept Lampley in-state
3. NOTRE DAME
Signed: Zeke Correll, Quinn Carroll, Andrew Kristofic, John Olmstead
Signing a highly touted offensive line group is nothing new in South Bend. Brian Kelly typically signs four quality linemen each year, but the quartet of four-stars in 2019 is the best haul in half a decade.
Notre Dame scooped up a trio of blue-chip tackles -- two of which rank inside the top-150 nationally -- and a guard also inside the top 150 out of the East Coast and Midwest. Carroll, the headliner of the group, is also on campus preparing for spring ball and is one of four new additions that seem poised to bolster the already-physical Irish offensive line.
4. MICHIGAN
Signed: Trevor Keegan, Zach Carpenter, Karsen Barnhart, Jack Stewart, Trente Jones, Nolan Rumler
After a handful of misses this time a year ago, Jim Harbaugh rebounded with his best offensive line class as Michigan’s head man, signing six big men to replenish the depth in the trenches. The Wolverines signed six offensive linemen back in 2017, but not nearly as heralded a group as this year’s.
Jones (Rivals100) and Keegan (Rivals250) represent answers for the Wolverines as Shea Patterson’s blindside protection, while Rumler -- another top-200 prospect -- pads depth on the interior. Additionally, Michigan found two more tackles and a second guard to provide offensive line coach Ed Warinner a legitimate three-deep and a group to mold for the future, not to mention continue this past season’s theme of dominating up front.
5. LSU
Signed: Kardell Thomas, Anthony Bradford, Ray Parker, Thomas Perry, Charles Turner
After replacing Jeff Grimes last December, James Cregg put his own stamp on LSU’s offensive line haul in 2019. He went up to the Midwest and poached Rivals250 tackle Bradford out of Michigan’s backyard. He also raided IMG Academy and nabbed Turner, a versatile three-star that will begin his career in Baton Rouge as a run-blocking tight end, but eventually projects as a center.
The Tigers fended off Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, Florida State and USC to keep Thomas, the No. 1 guard in the country, home. Perry is a versatile LSU legacy that can play tackle or guard, and Parker -- who signed in February as a tight end -- could eventually shift inside to tackle or be a dominant sixth lineman as an athletic in-line blocker.
6. TEXAS
Signed: Isaiah Hookfin, Javonne Shepherd, Tyler Johnson
Texas football is back, but don’t let Tom Herman hear that. After running over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, the Longhorns made a statement to the rest of the nation -- even though they’re in the Big 12, they can be physical. That was made rather clear by the play of their offensive line, which paved the way for 178 yards rushing against the nation’s No. 13 defense.
The Longhorns will add reinforcements to that group in the form of three in-state blue-chippers, including Johnson and Hookfin -- top-200 prospects -- and fellow four-star Shepherd. Johnson is already on campus and Texas managed to stave off Texas A&M to hold onto Shepherd. Sam Ehlinger and successor Roschon Johnson should be well-protected for years to come.
7. PENN STATE
Signed: Anthony Whigan, Saleem Wormley, Caedan Wallace
James Franklin is looking to instill a physical mentality in his team, which came across rather obvious in Penn State’s offensive line class for 2019. The Nittany Lions inked a pair of RIvals250 offensive guards in Caedan Wallace (No. 69) and Saleem Wormley (No. 108), two of the top five players at their respective positions in the country. Behind Wallace and Wormley, who could vie for playing time in place of NFL Draft-bound Connor McGovern, The Nittany Lions also added the No. 1 junior college offensive tackle, Whigan, from nearby Lackawanna C.C. Like his fellow 2019 counterparts, Whigan will have an opportunity to compete for snaps right away.
8. GEORGIA
Signed: Clay Webb, Warren McClendon, Xavier Truss
While Georgia’s offensive line haul in 2019 did not match the quantity we’ve become accustomed to in recent cycles, it certainly delivered on quality. A year ago, Dawgs offensive line coach Sam Pittman lured four Rivals250 members to his position room and five overall. This year Georgia settled for only three, but three certainly worth noting. Pittman helped Georgia beat out Alabama, Auburn and Clemson for Webb, the No. 1 center in the nation. Webb is already on campus and brings a physical mentality to the middle to the Bulldogs’ line. Georgia also signed four-star tackle McClendon from right outside its backyard and Truss, who flirted with a spot in the Rivals250 and turned heads at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by Adidas.
9. OHIO STATE
Signed: Enokk Vimahi, Dawand Jones, Harry Miller, Ryan Jacoby
The Buckeyes swapped one Rivals250 offensive lineman for another on National Signing. Doug Nester’s flip to Virginia Tech opened the door for the team to sign Vimahi out of Hawaii. A top-150 prospect, Vimahi has all the traits desired to be a Big Ten offensive tackle. He’ll enroll on campus in the summer, but is expected to take a mission trip after his freshman season. That’s one storyline to follow in Vimahi’s development.
As for his 2019 counterparts, Miller is a Rivals100 interior lineman that should crack the two-deep as early as this spring. He’s one of the best guards in the country and is in line to eventually be the Buckeyes’ center. Jones and Jacoby both finished the cycle as three-stars. Jacoby is one that was in the running for a rankings boost, which is encouraging and may wind up being the best tackle in this group. The same argument can be made for Jones, a two-sport athlete with great size that cemented his spot in Ohio State’s class on signing day.
10. MICHIGAN STATE
Signed: JD Duplain, Devontae Dobbs, Damon Kaylor, Nick Samac, Spencer Brown
Two of Michigan State’s most highly rated signees in 2019 came along the offensive line. Both Dobbs and Brown were Rivals250 prospects from the state that Mark Dantonio was able to keep on board for several months. Both offensive tackles represent the future up front for the Spartans and should have an opportunity to compete for snaps in a rather short period of time.
Kaylor is another tackle with the ability to shift inside at guard, while Samac was a prospect that finished as a top-30 guard after an impressive senior campaign.