West Texas: 5 Offensive Linemen To Watch In 2023

Scott Hood April 29, 2023 @ 11:59 PM

<p>Offensive line is often an underappreciated position by fans and the media. But many coaches will tell you O-Line is THE most important position in football. Without it, there is no football. Here are 5 West Texas offensive linemen to watch for the 2023 season:</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595871' first='Lucas' last='Barrientes'], Midland Legacy</strong>: The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Barrientes could be the strongest offensive lineman in West Texas. Few, if any, are stronger. He deadlifts close to 500 pounds and squats 530 pounds. But he's also got quick feet, enabling him to get to the second and third levels. Not surprisingly, major colleges have expressed interest. He's visited Oklahoma State (last weekend), Texas State, New Mexico State and UNLV. Eastern New Mexico and UNLV have offered.</p>   <p><strong>Kelton Carver, Abernathy</strong>: A first-team All-District performer in 2022 as a sophomore, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Carver is a much sought after prospect on the recruiting trail. He's visited Oklahoma twice, Texas A&M and Texas, and received camp or Junior Day invitations from North Texas and West Texas A&M.  </p>   <p><strong>Danzon Espinoza, Lubbock Monterey</strong>: The 6-foot-0, 245-pound Espinoza is a fast-rising offensive linemen for the Plainsmen. He just attended Junior Day at West Texas A&M and appears to have the chops to play at the next level. He's added 15 pounds since the end of last season.</p>   <p><strong>Roman Hernandez, El Paso Eastlake</strong>: The massively built 6-foot-7, 280-pound Hernandez has the ideal size college coaches crave in offensive tackles. For Eastlake, he's (of course) the left tackle. North Texas, UTSA, Texas State, FCS Weber State and FCS Montana have extended camp invitations. Hernandez should emerge this season as one of the top offensive linemen in Far West Texas.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='325881' first='Julio' last='Madero'] IV, Odessa Permian</strong>: With an impressive 6-foot-5, 305-pound frame and a massive 82-inch wingspan, Madero has the look, feel and ability of a major college prospect. He's aggressive and plays with a low pad level. He suffered a torn ACL early last season but has been faithfully rehabbing since then. And colleges have kept on recruiting him. Earlier this month, he visited TCU for the spring game and Texas State for Junior Day. North Texas has invited him to camp.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/AbernathyFB/status/1597282464447156224 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DanzonEspinoza/status/1589302050227208192?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KeltonCarver55/status/1624072784807661568 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/915_hernandez/status/1626051925853540357?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BarrientesLuca5/status/1602066953471934465?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Madero_Julio24/status/1643758374108946432?s=20 </div></figure>

Offensive line is often an underappreciated position by fans and the media. But many coaches will tell you O-Line is THE most important position in football. Without it, there is no football. Here are 5 West Texas offensive linemen to watch for the 2023 season: