2025 NY Rankings: Offensive Line

This is a strong year for the trenches in New York with a couple of prospects already committed and several others with a very busy summer of official visits there are plenty of prospects who stand out on this list. This year of prospects also displays how important size and athleticism are at the offensive line position. In today's football offensive linemen are getting bigger and more athletic. You can no longer be one or the other and it is showcased in our top athletes at the position this season. Both [player_tooltip player_id='286675' first='Rowan' last='Byrne'] and [player_tooltip player_id='788857' first='Jayden' last='Mann'] are extremely sought-after prospects because they are HUGE and ATHLETIC. The threshold of that size and athleticism keeps growing bigger and bigger as the desirable offensive tackle in college is at LEAST 6'4 and we even have prospects this season who are being recruited because they seem more of the 6'6 and 6'7 size. What teams may covet over height is a players length (arm length + wingspan) although it is not often you see shorter guys with length as height and length usually go hand in hand.   Offensive line recruiting is interesting because at the highest levels, teams care more about the measurables and ability to move than what you see on tape, in most cases OL won't see the field for at least two seasons so there is time to teach and coach blocking techniques often specific to an OL coach or offensive style. So the emphasis in recruiting comes on the things that are much harder if not impossible to teach size and athleticism. This is the one position where some of the highest quality blockers in terms of technique and the smaller skills such as hand placement, initial punch, footwork, pad level, etc. may appear more in players ranked lower - at the end of the day at this position size and athleticism are king and if you display that on tape you are inherently ahead of your peers.   5 of the top 15 prospects in the state are offensive linemen - a much stronger and deeper group than the 3 we saw in the top 15 last year led by a top 2 in [player_tooltip player_id='521455' first='Marcus' last='Harrison'] in [player_tooltip player_id='444366' first='Colin' last='Cubberly'] who created a large gap between them and the rest of the prospects. While this year #1 and #2 are likely in their own tier there are about another 6-8 guys who could really push themselves into that top group.   Check out updated NY 2025 Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/new-york/rankings/2025-rankings/">Here</a>   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">#1 Overall</h1>    Although Byrne missed some of last season with an injury there is no reason to move him from the #1 spot that he earned after his sophomore season and his limited junior film confirmed he is still the best OL in New York.   Byrne is a special athlete at his size and it is the main reason he is so highly sought after by major schools around the country. Byrne is very strong both on tape and in the weight room but his quickness and ability to move at his size are just as impressive.   Byrne has official visits set up to Clemson - Michigan State - Florida State - Penn State in that order making it a big summer for the Iona Prep OT.    <h1 class="wp-block-heading">The Next 9</h1>   [player_tooltip player_id='788857' first='Jayden' last='Mann'] - Mann was an intriguing prospect in my rankings two years ago when he was at 15 overall but there may not be a player who improved more over the course of his sophomore to junior season. Mann has very quick feet and is a very athletic tackle prospect who has the length and size coveted by FBS programs. Mann who picked up all of his offers this spring was another player who only rose his stock during Cardinal Hayes showday and certainly is pushing Byrne for that #1 OL spot.   [player_tooltip player_id='505332' first='Denzil' last='(DJ) Williams'] - Williams is a great athlete and you see it in clips of him playing basketball. There are not many players who are that big who move that well. Williams likely transition to the interior at the next level because he is not as long as a traditional tackle prospect but he moves so well in space and already has a ton of experience working in space in a Stepinac offense that is not afraid to run a ton of different screens or outside runs that ask OL to get in space and block better athletes. Williams has really quick feet, good bend, and change of direction which is not surprising with his basketball background.   [player_tooltip player_id='528728' first='Matthew' last='Hawn'] - Hawn, the best OL prospect who does not reside downstate is big and athletic which seems to be the theme of this OL class. Hawn is still growing into his body and can continue to add weight and strength to his game. He has a quick first step and showcases the ability to move to the second level or get out and block in space. Hawn staying home to play for Syracuse is easily the top OL prospect in the area.   [player_tooltip player_id='735823' first='Miron' last='Gurman'] - Gurman is a very interesting prospect because this past season he did not play OL for Spencerport. Gurman has the greatest growth potential of this group at a true 6'6 260+ and may have the longest arms in the class or as though it seems he does on tape. He moves extremely well and for a player his size, there is a lot of projection here as a prospect. What will help Gurman at the next level is there is a fallback and he could play defensive end with his length and movement skills which makes him such an impressive prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='1208229' first='Kardiear' last='Shepherd'] - Shepherd is probably the biggest NYS prospect at 6'7 and still very young for a Junior. The Cicero-North Syracuse OT really can continue to fill out his body in a college weight room and has the chance to end up playing at 330 plus as he adds more muscle and mass. Shepherd plays hard finishes blocks consistently and has a really high ceiling as a prospect overall. His development in pass protection will be key for his play at the next level.   [player_tooltip player_id='806578' first='Patrick' last='Enright'] - Enright has a great combination of size and speed, the Canisius prospect at 6'5 and a tad under 300lbs and also is a solid basketball player. I like the OL that plays basketball because you usually see the skillsets of being a big in basketball translate to the football field. Footwork and the ability to utilize length are prevalent for Enright in both sports and you see explosive movements on the basketball court on film. I could see Enright playing guard or tackle at the next level and he showcases a good motor and the ability to maintain and finish blocks.   [player_tooltip player_id='1212861' first='Warrick' last='Kyler'] - Kyler is big, physical, and moves well at his size. One of the few guys on this list who plays both ways Kyler is a really solid athlete who plays hard on both sides of the ball. I think you could make a case for him to play defensively at the next level the tape is so solid. As a tackle Kyler's length and quick feet make him a really solid pass pro OT. He has strong hands and he can knock guys back with his punch. Kyler has intriguing traits and a high ceiling but lacks consistency in his game. Some of that could come from playing two-way but if was more dominant consistently he could really move up the rankings.   [player_tooltip player_id='505382' first='Jayden' last='Nicolau'] - [player_tooltip player_id='505382' first='Jayden' last='Nicolau'] has the body type to be an impact division one interior offensive lineman. He shows the ability to maintain and finish blocks consistently and also has tape on both the left and right sides of the ball, a good experience that not many OL have. Nicolau has the strength and ability to move defenders off their gaps making him a strong fit as a bigger interior OL at the next level.   [player_tooltip player_id='820116' first='Brandon' last='Taffe'] - Taffe had a strong season for Erasmus Hall last year and was a standout on their offensive line. He also had a strong showing at the Elite V showcase and seems to be the next E-Hall OL to get strong looks from the next level. A guard prospect he already has the size at 300+ and he shows good length at the position. A primarily run-first offense that is the part of Taffe's skillset you seem him excel at on tape. And while there is not a ton in pass pro, that is where his Elite V showcase performance was impressive as he showed quick feet and a good anchor consistently in his reps.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Five Names To Watch This Upcoming Season</h1>    White kind of came out of nowhere as I did not know who he was until I did a check up of every team HUDL before I released rankings. He does play Center which as the biggest OL on his team is interesting positioning but his tape is filled with reps exploding off the ball and he has one of the stronger initial punches in the state. His tape is filled with simple down blocking due to his position but when he gets to the second level he really moves well and overall is a really impressive athlete.       Cardona who plays center for Tottenville was a key OL in one of the top rushing attacks in New York. Cardona plays with a strong anchor and does a really good job of maintaining blocks. He plays with leverage and has the quickness to execute reach blocks consistently.       Dowling who is an interior OL for St. Anthony's has a couple of years of starting experience under his belt. Dowling has played all three positions for St. Anthony's through his career showing some positional versatility you don't often see at the HS level. Dowling has quick feet and does a good job of maintaining blocks in pass pro and in the run game.       Bowman is a big dude at 6'3 315lbs the OG out of Penfield has natural strength and is an impactful two-way player. Bowman holds a lot of his weight in his hips and torso and has a natural ability to anchor. More consistency with his hands and maintaining better leverage and balance are areas that Bowman can really take a next step but he is super powerful at the point of attack.       Chichester may be a smaller prospect but the Longwood OL is a very recruitable prospect who actually has some really impressive reps on tape. Chichester plays with natural leverage his hand placement is consistent and he showcases and impactful punch. Chichester has the athleticism to move in space and pull from the guard spot. Really powerful on tape and in the weight room with 300+ bench and 500+ squat. Really solid OL prospect in a strong OL class.

This is a strong year for the trenches in New York with a couple of prospects already committed and several others with a very busy summer of official visits there are plenty of prospects who stand out on this list. This year of prospects also displays how important size and athleticism are at the offensive line position. In today's football offensive linemen are getting bigger and more athletic. You can no longer be one or the other and it is showcased in our top athletes at the position this season. Both Rowan Byrne Rowan Byrne 6'6" | 300 lbs | OL Iona Prep | 2025 State NY and Jayden Mann Jayden Mann 6'4" | 300 lbs | OL Cardinal Hayes | 2025 State NY are extremely sought-after prospects because they are HUGE and ATHLETIC. The threshold of that size and athleticism keeps growing bigger and bigger as the desirable offensive tackle in college is at LEAST 6'4 and we even have prospects this season who are being recruited because they seem more of the 6'6 and 6'7 size. What teams may covet over height is a players length (arm length + wingspan) although it is not often you see shorter guys with length as height and length usually go hand in hand.