Five East Tennessee 8th Grade (2029) Offensive Linemen To Know

Call it personal preference or call it whatever you'd like, but I'm a firm believe in building a team from the inside out. On any successful offense, everything starts up front with the Offensive Line. These five class of 2029 prospects from East Tennessee are some of the best I've seen and should quickly become names to know in Tennessee high school football.    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Imagine the luxury it is to have an eighth-grade O-Linemen that is listed at 6-foot-2 and 285-pounds. Then add in the fact that he's playing Center and it becomes quite a strength for a team.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>The first of three Webb School of Knoxville Spartans in this write up, [player_tooltip player_id='1537346' first='Brayden' last='Gonzalez'] looks like he was born to play Center. As of October 2024, I see very little on-field reason to believe he won't be playing on Sautrdays at a high level in the future.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Unless my eyes are deceiving me and he was actually lined up at Guard, there is film of [player_tooltip player_id='1537346' first='Brayden' last='Gonzalez'] snapping the ball and then pulling to the short side of the field. If you've never tried to do that before, I challenge you to try it. Extremely advanced play and something that Centers at any level struggle with, yet he's already doing it in middle school.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Listing himself at 6-foot-4 and 200-pounds, when looking at film of Alcoa's Middle School team, Carnegie is not a difficult prospect to identify at Left Tackle.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Looking at the group in this writeup, Carnegie doesn't have the significant weight of the others as of October 2024. However, the lone Blount County native certainly has the frame to hopefully put on at least 40-60 more pounds before high school is over.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>My biggest take away from his film is the unrelenting effort Carnegie displays on every snap. There are several clips of him sprinting downfield to throw additional blocks to help his ball carrier--something that will make any coach a very happy man.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>It doesn't matter what state a school is in, how big or small the school is, or what the level of competition is--any coach in America would be happy with a prospect that lists himself at 6-foot-4 and 300-pounds in the eighth-grade.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>The starter at Right Tackle, opposite [player_tooltip player_id='1236042' first='Gabriel' last='Gonzalez'] at Left Tackle, [player_tooltip player_id='1355869' first='Jamil' last='Thompson'] is a welcomed book end for the Spartans. Part of a massive Offensive Line that paved the way for a lot of success this season.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>On film it's clear to see the potential that Thompson has as a two-way lineman. While he physically overpowers the opposition at this point, he can play a bit high at times. He can get away with it for now, but he'll need to correct it. If he continues to work on staying low, he could be one of the best linemen in Tennessee come 2029.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>I got my first glimpse of [player_tooltip player_id='1305226' first='Haddon' last='Thornburg'] this past June, when he was a member of the Tennessee Future Stars 7th grade team. Despite a loss to the Kentucky Future Stars in that game, I was impressed with Thornburg.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Thornburg was the starter at Left O-Tackle this season for West and did a great job of using all of the 6-foot-4 and 245-pounds he's listed at to open holes for his teammates. While he also played some Nose/Defensive Tackle, he seems destined to play on the offensive line.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Being as big he is this young, there is still some "baby deer" in him when he's moving around. The moor coordinated he becomes with his feet, and the smoother he begins to move as an athlete, he'll become even more dominant as a true O-Tackle. The best is yet to come here.</li> </ul>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Lining up at arguably the most important position on the Offensive Line, [player_tooltip player_id='1236042' first='Gabriel' last='Gonzalez'] was the starter Left Tackle for the Webb School of Knoxville this season.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Has long been thought of as one of the best pre-high school Offensive Linemen not only in Knox County, but the entire state of Tennessee.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>As of October 2024, I can see him staying at Tackle if he continues to grow taller. However, I'd put my money on him eventually moving to the interior of the line rather than out at O-Tackle. He's a wide load at 6-foot-2 and 295-pounds and plays with a lot of power, which helps the inside run game.</li> </ul>

Call it personal preference or call it whatever you'd like, but I'm a firm believe in building a team from the inside out. On any successful offense, everything starts up front with the Offensive Line. These five class of 2029 prospects from East Tennessee are some of the best I've seen and should quickly become names to know in Tennessee high school football.