2024 Combine Series: Offensive Line Evaluations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday, over 100 prospects came to Wixom to test and compete at the Prep Redzone Combine Series. It was undoubtedly the best camp we've ever held in Michigan, with several highly anticipated prospects coming down to compete. The offensive line group in particular was a position I couldn't miss. This article will evaluate seven of the offensive linemen that I have the most notes on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'26 T | [player_tooltip player_id='1246804' first='Sullivan' last='Garvin'] | Allegan | <a href="https://twitter.com/sullyg74">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's it; Sully is a top 10 offensive lineman in the class of 2026. I'll tell you something else- he isn't #10. or #9. or #8. Amongst a great offensive and defensive line group, Sully stood out as, far and away, the best lineman in the entire camp. I don't think Sully lost a single rep. In fact, he dominated even the best defensive linemen we had at the showcase. He has a very balanced kickstep, fast feet, and stays square being every pass set. He's patient enough to wait to see what the opposing defender does, and he's very quick in reacting to any and every movement. He could work on his hand usage a bit, as not everything lands, but he makes up for it by having impeccable patience and balance. Sully received his first Division 1 offer from Western Michigan a few weeks ago. I strongly believe that the entire MAC should be after him. He'll be attending several camps later this spring/summer, and I think he'll earn several more Division 1 offers there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1246886,"width":"527px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/IMG_5537-crop-2814x1848-1713116644.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1246886" style="width:527px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'25 T | [player_tooltip player_id='899577' first='Zane' last='Panchula'] | Rockford | <a href="https://twitter.com/ZanePanchula25">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zane performed better than I expected as an offensive tackle. I know he's flip-flopped between being a defensive lineman and offensive tackle over the past couple of years. While taking 100% of his reps at tackle, he was named the #2 best O-Lineman in the entire camp by the coaches. He sported a good, blanced kickstep with a powerful punch that oftentimes knocked the opposing lineman off-balance. He had a few dominant wins, but a few losses or near-losses where he was caught leaning and guessing. There's no questioning Zane's upside, and he'll be another MAC target this offseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1246884,"width":"535px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/IMG_5575_3bc64c-crop-3022x1984-1713116552.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1246884" style="width:535px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'25 G | [player_tooltip player_id='1127769' first='Ace' last='Simonson'] | Forest Hills Eastern | <a href="https://twitter.com/Acesimonson">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I didn't know what to expect from Ace, as this was my first time watching him at a camp. His film proves that he's an excellent run blocker, and I know he's a great tester when it comes to lifting and athleticism. During yesterday's combine, he proved he could hold his own and then some in the passing game. He played balanced and rarely got caught off-balanced. This allowed him to recover much faster than most. He did get caught leaning a few times, and a few defenders were able to swipe his hands away with good success. Still, when that happened, Ace usually recovered very quickly. He currently holds an offer from Ferris State, and I wouldn't be surprised if he receives more GLIAC attention this summer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'26 T/G | [player_tooltip player_id='1148708' first='Jeremiah' last='Benson'] | West Bloomfield | <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremiahBen2021">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jeremiah was one of those guys that I was very excited to watch in person, and he delivered. He had most of his reps at guard and won most of his reps in dominant fashion. Though, he also got beat a few times. When he won, he was a brick wall. Once that first punch hits, the opposing defender is stopped in his tracks, which usually leads to a dominant win for Jeremiah. However, there were a few times when he was caught leaning and caught with less than-stellar footwork. Super high upside for Jeremiah and I'm quite impressed with his performance, he just needs to work on a few little things. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'27 T | [player_tooltip player_id='1158354' first='Braden' last='Chaffin'] | UofD Jesuit | <a href="https://twitter.com/Bradenchaffin5">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Braden is a name to watch in the coming years. He sports impeccable size and long limbs. His fundamentals could use a bit of work, but for the most part he remained balanced and leaned on his strengths. If he was a senior right now, I'm confident he'd get division 2 looks. With a few good offseasons, he'll be a high-tier GLIAC prospect at the very least, if not a MAC or higher prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'25 G | [player_tooltip player_id='899522' first='James' last='Weiss'] | Grandville | <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesWeiss262">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On film, it's apparent that James is a very good run blocker. He blocks in the Wing-T offense extremely well, and he's good at moving bodies in the run game. In the passing game, he still needs a lot of work. I'm confident that he received some very good coaching at the combine. There were times when he had a good kickstep and was able to stay in front of his man the entire time. There were other times when he was consistently getting beat. Moving forward, it's all about fundamentals and consistency for James.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>'27 IOL | Vincent Lazarre | Lansing Sexton | <a href="https://twitter.com/99BigVince">Twitter</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vincent may be undersized and a freshman, but he held his own and impressed me quite a bit. He has far better fundamentals than most freshman and was able to stay square and anchor pretty well against some good defenders. If Vincent can grow a few more inches, his upside will increase tenfold. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->