Scouting The Class: TN2026 Offensive Line

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Having good play in the trenches is still where games are won and lost and for our senior O-line class, there are plenty of high quality guys here that you will see playing on the P4, D1 and FCS levels in the near future. </h2>     Over the past several years, the evolution of the offensive line has grown tremendously to become if not the best but one of the top positional recruiting groups in the state and for the #TN2026 class, it looks to be no different and even possibly the best collection of big men we have had yet.    This year's crop is deep and talented with a variety of guys that can play left tackle, some mauling guards and centers that could become captains and leaders on the college playing field one day. It's an impressive group of big men that I feel will only get deeper as we roll through the off-season months and into the 2025 high school football season.    Strong Group of P4 Linemen   - This year's O-line class may be deep but it starts with the guys at the top of the board and prospects that are destined for the Power Four stage. Throughout the off-season, it's been a battle to see who the top guy would be and right now it looks like a three guy battle between [player_tooltip player_id='944767' first='Kamari' last='Blair'] (Kirkwood), [player_tooltip player_id='1270425' first='Gabriel' last='Osenda'] (Baylor) and Maryville big man [player_tooltip player_id='284141' first='Brody' last='Smith']. All three of these guys will eventually sign with major programs but all three bring something a little different to the table.    Blair is the biggest riser during these off-season months that has seen his recruitment take-off and a lot of that is due to his potential to become a starting left tackle on the next level along with the upside to potentially take his game beyond the college ranks. The Cobras senior is possibly the best athlete out of the #TN2026 O-line class that should only get better and better as he continues to develop.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/kamblair2.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1254932" style="width:297px;height:auto" /></figure>   Committing to Tennessee back in January, Osenda is a massive human being that can dominate his opponent due to his size, arm length and overall power. Pass rushers only shot to beat him is to use their speed because if they try to go through him, it's over! He has a shot to remain at tackle in college but may be suited best to slide inside at guard.    Competing with Blair as the group's top athlete is Smith, who at one time was the hottest O-line recruit in the state. He is still very sought after and it's due to his tenacious game play, his ability to get to the second level and upside to potentially play left tackle on the college stage.    Beyond those top three is a large group of guys that have either already picked up Power Four or D1 offers but also have the tools and traits to continue seeing their stock surge as we inch closer to official visit and summer camp season.    Our #TN2026 O-line class is so deep with P4 talent that I feel it's best to look at things through a regional point of view. Beginning in the East Tennessee region, what you immediately find are some maulers, some brute force blockers that are better suited for the interior but are top class at what they do in the trenches.    McCallie senior [player_tooltip player_id='1453995' first='Moussa' last='Seck'], McMinn Co. powerhouse [player_tooltip player_id='402530' first='Camden' last='Goforth'] and [player_tooltip player_id='926104' first='Charlie' last='Edgeworth'] from Baylor are three big and powerful interior O-linemen that bring that certain grit, strength and toughness to the line of scrimmage that college coaches would enjoy working with and developing. Seck may be the guy in these that is still a bit raw but may have the most upside due to his wide frame, long arms and ability to move laterally.    Goforth is an absolute machine that sports a great combination of athleticism and power but also the versatility to play all three interior O-line positions. He may also be one of the best workers we have from this year's class. Edgeworth is another massive human being from the Baylor front five that can lock down defenders due to his size and ability to move his feet laterally.    The Mid-Tennessee region is also quite stacked at the top with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='866469' first='Austin' last='Hoane'] (Cookeville), [player_tooltip player_id='1114738' first='Jack' last='Fuchs'] (Beech), [player_tooltip player_id='402552' first='Jordan' last='Curll'] (Page) and [player_tooltip player_id='1115191' first='Richard' last='Thigpen'] from Ensworth. These four are different talents on the line that bring something specific to the playing field that translate very well to the college game.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/ahoane2.webp?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1637659" style="width:352px;height:auto" /></figure>   Hoane may be the most versatile of those four with a skill set that may allow him to play tackle, guard or center in college. The Cavs senior is a clean prospect, meaning there aren't many flaws. Hoane is a good athlete that moves well side to side along with sporting excellent strength and experience with pass blocking. Fuchs is one of the hottest names at the moment that is seeing his stock soar with recent offers coming from Ole Miss, Penn St. and South Carolina. This is another massive human being (6'8 295) that could have a shot at playing right tackle in college but suits better inside at guard.    Another guy built in the same mold as Fuchs is Ensworth senior [player_tooltip player_id='1115191' first='Richard' last='Thigpen']. Standing 6 '6 310 pounds, the Tigers O-lineman is a wide bodied mauler that has a skill set that fits inside at guard but with continued lower base work, Thigpen may have a shot in college at handling right tackle. Curll may have the most upside out of the four and the best overall athlete. The Patriots talented blocker has really come into his own over the past year where he shows on film the upside to handle the blindside on the college level.    Most of these guys have already obtained the offers and big status as a top of the board prospect while a few O-linemen have yet to gain those Power Four opportunities but through my scouting, guys like Goforth, Hoane and Curll should see things change very soon.   - - - - -    Definite D1 Guys w/ P4 Potential    - This year's O-line class could be deeper than year's past and a big reason for that is because of the guys mentioned in this portion of the article that hold current D1 or FCS offers but might slide into the Power Four picture before it's all said and done.    A lot of guys mentioned below will be interior prospects with a few big men set to potentially play tackle in college. One of the better interior O-linemen from the #TN2026 class is Collierville senior [player_tooltip player_id='1104292' first='Cooper' last='Sherrod']. Holding nearly 20 offers, the Dragons guard/center prospect is one of the more clean and efficient guys we have from this year's crop that has a great shot at getting those Power Four offers by the time summer camp season is over.    Coming out of the Memphis area, Germantown big man [player_tooltip player_id='425182' first='Andre' last='Amos, Jr'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1367238' first='ZaColby' last='Malone'] from Whitehaven are two high potential prospects that ooze athleticism and upside. Amos, Jr is such a talented young man that I could see some schools looking at him for the defensive line. Malone might be one of the better left tackle prospects we have in this class. He is still developing his body and game but his ceiling is very high.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/aamosjr.webp?w=682" alt="" class="wp-image-1637661" style="width:266px;height:auto" /></figure>   Two guys from the East Tennessee region have college tackle written all over them. Alcoa senior [player_tooltip player_id='1366546' first='Jacob' last='Crow'] is a massive human being (6'8 290) that has the look of a future right tackle. He is still working on forming his frame but the tools are certainly there for Power Four schools to potentially get involved. Bearden big man [player_tooltip player_id='402531' first='Charles' last='Humphrey Jr.'] holds several strong offers at the moment and I see why but growth is needed to remain outside. The more I see his film, the more I like his upside on the inside at guard.   [player_tooltip player_id='1206520' first='Xavier' last='Wade'] (Baylor), [player_tooltip player_id='853121' first='Jacob' last='Rathbone'] (Page) and [player_tooltip player_id='1218536' first='Jeremy' last='George'] (Webb Sch.) are three interior O-line prospects that all hold D1 offers in hand but could develop themselves into Power Four guys before too long. Wade is an athletic guard/center prospect that I see excellent upside with, especially if he continues to add more weight and fills out his frame.    Rathbone is a multi year starter that has done a lot of winning during his time at Page. He is a brute mauler with an athletic lower base that translates well to the college game with maybe his biggest upside coming at center. Another prospect for the center position, George added his 1st D1 offer recently from MTSU and they shouldn't be his last. The Feet O-lineman could be one of the better interior O-line prospects we have from the #TN2026 class.    Fringe D1 O-linemen on the Cusp    - Staying with depth inside our #TN2026 O-line class, we have a large selection of guys that sit on that threshold of breaking through but may need to be seen in person this spring and camp this summer before they see their offer list explode.    Several guys like [player_tooltip player_id='889088' first='Jordon' last='Shaw'] (Stewarts Creek), [player_tooltip player_id='1136472' first='Daniel' last='Cepicky'] (Columbia Acad.), [player_tooltip player_id='1588851' first='Daniel' last='Payne'] (Brentwood Acad.), [player_tooltip player_id='1400952' first='Jonatan' last='Bezverhnii'] (Webb Sch.) and [player_tooltip player_id='1621943' first='Jackson' last='Kirby'] from Henry Co. already have already received FCS offers but I'm sure each of them are striving for more.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/dcepicky.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-1637662" style="width:305px;height:auto" /></figure>   Shaw and Cepicky are two guys with potential to play some tackle in college but could definitely excel inside guard. Shaw may have the biggest upside of anybody listed in this portion of the article due to his athleticism and lower base agility. Cepicky is a mauler that embraces the physical aspect of football.    Payne is a brute mauler that transferred to Brentwood Academy for his senior year to boost his recruiting stock. The Eagles senior is a wide bodied blocker that is surprisingly athletic with good footwork. Bezverhnii is a true guard prospect that does well with his run blocking but has the upside to develop his pass protection much further. Recently landing his first offer from UT-Martin, Kirby is a multi year starter with a lot of experience at center, who has been a part of a lot of winning throughout his high school career.    Where most of the depth in this year's class resides is from the interior and it's due to talented guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1621929' first='Baker' last='Correll'] (Dobyns-Bennett), [player_tooltip player_id='866783' first='Jared' last='Bafford'] (Oak Ridge), [player_tooltip player_id='1568954' first='Noah' last='Spears'] (MUS), [player_tooltip player_id='1588081' first='J.B.' last='Hoehn'] (Lausanne), [player_tooltip player_id='1100917' first='Kennedy' last='Jackson'] (Blackman), [player_tooltip player_id='1566272' first='Langston' last='Reed'] (Collierville), [player_tooltip player_id='1620795' first='Trevon' last='Bledsoe'] (Clarksville) and [player_tooltip player_id='1291568' first='Elijah' last='Clark'] from Riverdale.    Correll and Bafford are two mauling guards that have excellent college size along with the athleticism to consistently push defenders to the second level. Spears is a hidden gem that is still raw and developing but the athleticism is there along with the willingness to play a violent brand of football.    Hoehn and Bledsoe are two wide bodied big men that eat up space from the middle and use their power to create running lanes. Both have great size and the skill set to see their stocks take off with strong work during summer camps.    Two guys that may be a tad undersized but are two of the better athletic O-line blockers, Jackson and Reed bring versatility to the trenches with the possibility of handling all three interior positions. Clark is a true hidden gem that hasn't received much buzz to this point but I love his film and upside to be a swing guard on the collegiate playing field.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/kenjackson2.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-1637664" style="width:307px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    The Depth Runs Deep   - We have already talked about 30 O-linemen from our #TN2026 class but we are far from done. That's how deep this crop of blockers are this cycle. You will see a bunch of guys mentioned here that are multi year starters and prospects with potential to find a role on the college stage but may need more development this off-season before coaches get on board with them.    A lot of O-linemen in this section are mainly interior guys with a few potential tackle prospects trickled in. One of those potential college tackles is White Station senior [player_tooltip player_id='1617815' first='Jaxon' last='Hardaway']. Standing 6 '8 260 pounds, the Spartans big man brings the length and size to the field that college coaches like but Hardaway is still raw. He has spent most of his time playing basketball at White Station but his future should be on the gridiron where his upside to handle the edge is high.    Another guy built almost in the same mold is Waverly Central big man [player_tooltip player_id='1588825' first='Austin' last='Morrow']. Coming from a small part of Middle Tennessee, not too many people may know about Morrow but his film shows a guy that moves well laterally with the athleticism to handle the pass rush. Much work must be done on the field and in the weight room for Morrow but there is D1 potential inside this guy.    We have a large group of guard, center prospects in this section that may not have the eye of college coaches right now but with continued development, they could by the time we reach the Fall football season.    Some of those guys to know about and follow include [player_tooltip player_id='865687' first='Nick' last='Williams'] (Bartlett), [player_tooltip player_id='425163' first='Syler' last='Green'] (Independence), [player_tooltip player_id='1606272' first='LaBrian' last='Shelbourne'] (Riverdale), [player_tooltip player_id='1315680' first='Kaleo' last='Keur'] (Centennial), [player_tooltip player_id='853129' first='Tyler' last='Grizzle'] (Dobyns-Bennett), [player_tooltip player_id='1182697' first='Collin' last='Abston'] (Rockwood), [player_tooltip player_id='1103010' first='Brady' last='Burke'] (Oneida), [player_tooltip player_id='480876' first='Ronan' last='McNamara'] (Green Hill), [player_tooltip player_id='480895' first='C.J.' last='Francis'] (Franklin Co.), Ton'Reon Brazleton (Bearden), [player_tooltip player_id='854301' first='Andrew' last='Hogan'] (Ensworth), [player_tooltip player_id='926094' first='Jonathan' last='King'] (Baylor), [player_tooltip player_id='492555' first='Andrew' last='Vick'] (Father Ryan), [player_tooltip player_id='866772' first='Elijah' last='Young'] (Oak Ridge), [player_tooltip player_id='1286070' first='Lucas' last='Piekielko'] (Rossview), [player_tooltip player_id='1349505' first='Raeshawn' last='Boyce'] (Clarksville), [player_tooltip player_id='480918' first='Blake' last='Adams'] (Briarcrest) and [player_tooltip player_id='1621928' first='Carter' last='Taylor'] from Pope Prep.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/user-uploads/nickwilliams.jpg?w=350" alt="" class="wp-image-1621448" style="width:300px;height:auto" /></figure>   I really like the upside of Williams, Green, Shelbourne, Keur, Grizzle, Abston, Burke, Vick and Young to make their way into the FCS ranks but all of them must continue to either hone their craft on the field or spend more time in the weight room, forming their bodies or gaining more weight.    The great thing about enduring the recruiting and scouting process is that new names will pop on the radar while known names either take their stocks to another level or fall back for some reason or another. I expect several guys mentioned above to push their games to another level and force college coaches to pay attention. It will be fun to see how things work out but as of now, this could be the best overall O-line class we have ever had here in the great state of Tennessee.    Other O-linemen to Know:  [player_tooltip player_id='1315658' first='Isaiah' last='Bishop'] - Columbia Cent., [player_tooltip player_id='1310393' first='Mason' last='Justice'] - Heritage, [player_tooltip player_id='402527' first='Caden' last='Liebler'] - Independence, [player_tooltip player_id='1250497' first='Devin' last='Rightor'] - Green Hill, [player_tooltip player_id='1302528' first='Mitch' last='Todd'] - Forrest, [player_tooltip player_id='1136470' first='Bishop' last='Merriweather'] - Greeneville, [player_tooltip player_id='1621935' first='Bryson' last='Arnold'] - DeKalb Co., [player_tooltip player_id='344895' first='Colton' last='Moore'] - Alcoa, [player_tooltip player_id='1626525' first='Connor' last='Martin'] - ECS, [player_tooltip player_id='1593834' first='Nash' last='Stinnett'] - Maryville, [player_tooltip player_id='1588076' first='Boyd' last='Rhodes'] - MUS, [player_tooltip player_id='889225' first='Chris' last='Shreve'] - Bartlett, [player_tooltip player_id='402533' first='Colt' last='Campbell'] - Seymour, [player_tooltip player_id='1568970' first='Darrion' last='Adams'] - Oakland, [player_tooltip player_id='1185017' first='Deacon' last='Hobbs'] - Munford, [player_tooltip player_id='1597029' first='Heath' last='Norton'] - South Greene, [player_tooltip player_id='466281' first='Hudson' last='Lee'] - Blackman, [player_tooltip player_id='1570542' first='Hunter' last='Green'] - Halls, [player_tooltip player_id='1599114' first='Kaleb' last='Langley'] - Coalfield, [player_tooltip player_id='854353' first='Kody' last='Powell'] - Melrose, [player_tooltip player_id='964718' first='Sam' last='Egwudobi'] - Cordova, [player_tooltip player_id='1117926' first='Samuel' last='Rood'] - Fairview, [player_tooltip player_id='910996' first='Matthias' last='Hudson'] - Bartlett   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/cleibler.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1637673" style="width:306px;height:auto" /></figure>