2024 Look Ahead: 10 Offensive Linemen You Need To Know (Part 1)

<p>Many football coaches will tell you that offensive line is the most important position on the field. Yet, the O-Line is also arguably the most underappreciated position in football, largely because they never have the ball in their hands. In Part 1 of a series, here are 10 Offensive Linemen To Watch In New Mexico for 2024:</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1119551' first='Javier' last='Filerio'], Gadsden</strong>: Filerio is one of the top offensive linemen in southern New Mexico. He's 6-foot-4, 290 pounds and a next level target. Peru State in Nebraska has offered. Eastern New Mexico, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Davenport University and Henderson State have issued Junior Day and/or Camp invitations. Filerio physically dominated opponents as a junior last season with 71 pancake blocks while giving up just 1 sack.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1198251' first='Ryan' last='Garcia'], Capital</strong>: Capital hasn't produced a lot of next level linemen over the past few years but the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Garcia has become a hot commodity. Bethel College, Peru State and Minnesota West College (JUCO) have offered. Eastern New Mexico, Alabama A&M, Missouri S&T have issued camp invitations. Garcia recently attended Junior Day at ENMU.    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='268298' first='Cruz' last='Graham'], Santa Fe</strong>: We first saw Graham at a New Mexico Highlands camp a few years ago when he was a young, up-and-coming prospect. Even then, you could see he had the potential to become a next level prospect. He was a First-Team All-District guard in 2023. That's the probably the best position in college for the 5-foot-11, 250-pound Graham.    </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118241' first='Mark' last='Handy'], La Cueva</strong>: By this point, most folks who follow NM high school football closely know about Handy. He's our #1 offensive linemen in the 2025 rankings and he has Power 4 football in his future. Handy is a big-time prospect because he's 6-foot-6, 295 pounds with great feet, active hands and impressive mobility. He's also a state champion wrestler.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613058' first='Valente' last='Herrera'], Lovington</strong>: The Wildcats traditionally have outstanding offensive lines and Herrera (and others) will undoubtedly continue that tradition in 2023. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Herrera has been offered by NM Highlands while Black Hills State, Henderson State and Peru State have delivered camp invitations. Herrera is incredibly strong as he recently finished second in his weight class (Class 4A, 308 pounds) at the state powerlifting championship and can deadlift over 500 pounds.   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1057304' first='Kylar' last='Pickering'], Hobbs</strong>: Just like Herrera, the 6-foot-4, 295-pound Pickering is a big, strong guy from southeast NM. He finished third in his weight class (Class 5A, 308 pounds) at the recent state powerlifting championships. UTEP has shown interest and Pickering visited El Paso for the Miners' spring game last Saturday. New Mexico, Stephen F. Austin, Eastern Washington and UT Permian Basin have likewise shown interest.   </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='416093' first='Ryan' last='Ramirez'], Albuquerque Academy</strong>: The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Ramirez visited NM Highlands last Saturday for Junior Day and left with an offer. Ramirez enjoyed a solid junior season in 2023 with 32 pancake blocks and just 1 sack allowed. He plans to camp at West Texas A&M on May 25. He visited UT Permian Basin for Junior Day on March 30, one day after he was in Portales for ENMU's Junior Day.  </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='613059' first='Leandro' last='Salazar'], Espanola Valley</strong>: The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Salazar rocketed to the front page of the news with an impressive showing at the state powerlifting championships. His total weight of 1,325 pounds (most in Class 4A) makes him one of the strongest players in the state for 2024. Salazar's rise mirrors the rise of the vastly improved Espanola Valley program.      </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='851862' first='Moses' last='Sparks'], Cleveland</strong>: Sparks is our #1 prospect for the 2026 class because he's 6-foot-5, 275 pounds with impressive skills for a young player. The previous staff at New Mexico offered him when he was a freshman. He runs the 40 in about 5 seconds, an indication of his quick feet and mobility. UTEP has shown interest and Sparks visited El Paso in February. By this time next year, Sparks should be a heavily recruited prospect.</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257335' first='Jack' last='Warble'], Rio Rancho</strong>: The Rams bring back a load of experience on the offensive line for 2024 and the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Warble is the unit's leader and arguably the best (and most recruited) player. He recently visited New Mexico State and Eastern New Mexico while FCS powerhouse North Dakota State has invited him to camp. Drake, Miami (OH), Minot State, St. Thomas  and Gardner-Webb have also issued camp invitations.    </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/JavierFilerio70/status/1776718143001604143 </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/RyanGarcia70/status/1719549395773919444 </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/CruzGraham52/status/1721345204463034638 </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/lvt_ad/status/1779297086489419784 </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/HobbsAthletics/status/1779324127154700752 </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/Ryan70Ramirez/status/1781767071010893867 </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/RGSunSports/status/1758935430517678154 </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/mosessparks77/status/1720596949542613378 </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/Fb78Warble/status/1774123540234874892 </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/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1781991444108181781 </div></figure>

Many football coaches will tell you that offensive line is the most important position on the field. Yet, the O-Line is also arguably the most underappreciated position in football, largely because they never have the ball in their hands. In Part 1 of a series, here are 10 Offensive Linemen To Watch In New Mexico for 2024: