2026 Offensive Linemen Primed For Next Recruiting Rung

One of the first big pieces of the 2026 offensive line puzzle is set to fall into place.   On Friday, Carvers Bay's [player_tooltip player_id='402516' first='Zyon' last='Guiles'] plans to announce his verbal commitment to one of seven programs: South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. This decision has been years in the making. For reference, we first ranked Guiles weeks into his sophomore season, and within months, he was considered a national-level recruit by basically everyone. We won't argue with any of those super-high assessments, and his abilities and frame clearly make him worthy of the attention.   What shouldn't be lost in Guiles' recruiting cycle is that he's got plenty of position mates who are on the cusp of making their own noise.   The crop of offensive linemen in the Class of 2026 in South Carolina has to be considered one of the deepest groups in the country. After Guiles' decision is made public, the remaining talent is nothing to scoff at. Here are 10 more trench warriors with a chance to follow in his footsteps over the next few months.   [player_tooltip player_id='212409' first='Scottland' last='Dover'] Gaffney   Dover is a bit of a wild card as he verbally committed to Appalachian State back in November but has continue to plan out some visits and is continuing to draw interest - including an offer from East Carolina just this week. He put that one in a pile that included some P4s, and depending where he goes, he ultimately could play tackle or guard in college. He does both now, as well as shifting to both sides of the line given certain play calls. Dover is a mauler one play and a polished pass blocker on the next.   [player_tooltip player_id='617718' first='Kenshon' last='Speaks'] Beaufort   Watching Speaks navigate his entire high school career has given us more than enough reason to think, as we wrote about him back in 2023, he might be pretty good at this. He started at guard as a freshman during the Eagles' Class 3A championship run before shifting to tackle the last two years. As a junior, he showed he could help hold everything together despite massive personnel losses due to injury. We project him moving back to guard at college, and his feistiness will continue to open more doors.   [player_tooltip player_id='473011' first='Desmond' last='Green'] Timberland   Once thought to be a budding tackle, Green did even more damage for Timberland after making the move back to guard and started to get looks at both. He's making his way through his official visits this spring and summer and could announce his choice before his senior year begins. Green is one of those big bodies who moves much better than you'd guess, and it all starts with a fierce weight room routine that has some of his numbers comparing to those of his future college brethren.   [player_tooltip player_id='1267220' first='Zion' last='Britt'] Berkeley   Britt is a soon-to-be three-year starter for an offense that is finding ways to grow behind a bevy of weapons. Among them, Britt might be the most consistent producer over those past two seasons. He's a starting left tackle now, and he's projected as a guard in college. His persistence in blocks one-on-one should translate in the type of heavy traffic he's rarely faced with in the Stags' high-tempo offense. And by the time it's all said and done, he should be well north of 30 varsity starts.   [player_tooltip player_id='1267226' first='Devaughn' last='Locust'] Lamar   Locast is our dark horse of sorts at Lamar, as he's not only significantly shorter but also playing at the state's smallest level. However, his work ethic has come across in leaning up considerably in the last few months and his every-down capability on both offense and defense. Locust has college guard or center written all over him, and another year of seasoning should put him into even more of a discussion for his post-high school plans.   [player_tooltip player_id='1295662' first='Matthew' last='Atkinson'] West Ashley   There is a cone spanning out about 7 yards from where Atkinson (pictured) is snapping the ball where a rebuilt West Ashley offense might find a good place to start in 2025. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound center is looking like he could rise even higher in our rankings based upon how he also responds to the changes taking place around him. We're not expecting the status quo, necessarily, but he is an absolute anchor in the middle of the line and should be a valuable resource for the coaching staff. That will all increased his chances of playing on Saturdays.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165106' first='Bryson' last='Moore'] Irmo   The Yellow Jackets are making their case for the best left-to-right offense line in the state, even with losing center [player_tooltip player_id='1157979' first='Ryan' last='Love'] to graduation. The remaining four are all ranked, including Moore. He can play either tackle or guard position as necessary, and his fluidity between spots on the line all stems from his quick feet and a ton of upper body strength. His first offer came from an Ivy League school (Pennsylvania), but it won't be the last. Moore checks a lot of boxes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken'] Clinton   Aiken has been making a significant surge our rankings for the last 18 months, thanks in large part of further exposure from Clinton's success on the field. Every time we turn on the tape or see him live, he's doing something else to solidify his upward trend; he now sits as our No. 5 overall player in the class. Aiken's got a slew of visits slated for May and June, and he could be the next big name to come off the board. His top five includes South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech   [player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston'] North Augusta   Some of the big dogs of college football have already pulled the trigger on Gaston with the intention of moving him to guard. And while that could very well happen, we're not ruling out him sticking at tackle in the future, especially given the designs North Augusta has for a huge 2025 season and the attention it could bring. Gaston is a monster blocking specimen who opens a ton of green for [player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Michael' last='Doe'] and the rest of the Yellow Jackets' offense. Gaston's future is just as wide open.   [player_tooltip player_id='1395031' first='Caden' last='Muskus'] Chapin   Muskus has caught some fire since the end of his junior year, pulling offers from Liberty and The Citadel to go along with November ones from Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. One of the attractions for Muskus is that he's already verified at 6-foot-4 with an 80-inch wing span and was still considered on the leaner side. We'll be interested to see his next verified weight, as even hitting the 275-pound mark could be all more colleges need to see to delve out an offer of their own.

One of the first big pieces of the 2026 offensive line puzzle is set to fall into place.