The 2025 NFL Draft proved to be a deep group of offensive linemen, with eight players selected in the first round and three players going in the first ten picks alone. Even with that mass exodus of talent to the pros, college football has several standout linemen returning for the upcoming season.
Who should you be looking out for this fall? Using PFSN’s College OL+ metric, we ranked the top 25 returning college football offensive linemen for the 2025 campaign.
Each player’s game and season grades are adjusted for opponent strength. Past seasons use end-of-season strength of schedule, but in-season grades can fluctuate as we learn more about the true performance level of each team.
25) Brady Small, Army
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 88.33 (B+)
Brady Small enters his third year as a starter for Army’s offensive line. He initially cracked the starting lineup in 2023 as a true freshman at center. He serves as the anchor up front, keeping their run-heavy approach going smoothly.
Small actually has the best unadjusted OL+ grade among all returning offensive linemen at 87.93. A lighter strength of schedule hurts his grade a bit, but he still finished as one of the top centers in the nation last season, thanks to his dominance as a run blocker.
24) Kwabena Asamoah, Rutgers
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 89.17 (B+)
Kwabena Asamoah cracks the top 25 returning offensive linemen as one of two Rutgers players to make the list, and 2025 draft pick Hollin Pierce was also one of the top-grading linemen last year. If Asamoah can build off his first year as a full-time starter in 2024, the Scarlet Knights should be in good shape for the 2025 season.
In 13 games, Asamoah allowed just two sacks. He had a tougher workload than most, having the second-highest true pass-set percentage of snaps at 78.50%. That said, he didn’t allow a single sack on said true pass sets, and he was decent enough as a run blocker to remain in the top 25 of this list.
23) Josh Thompson, LSU
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 89.47 (B+)
As a two-year starter at Northwestern, Josh Thompson is already battle-tested against some of the top defensive linemen in college football. Heading to LSU for his redshirt senior year, he has the chance to add even more to his already impressive collegiate resume.
Though he missed a couple of games due to injury in 2024, Thompson still impressed by not allowing a single sack in 10 games and having just six penalties. He didn’t allow a single quick pressure in pass protection, and he graded pretty well as a run blocker with a 73.4 PFF grade.
22) Giovanni El-Hadi, Michigan
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 89.60 (B+)
The first year post-Jim Harbaugh didn’t go exactly as planned for Michigan. However, one of their bright spots was the emergence of Giovanni El-Hadi, who had gone from a key reserve to their second-highest graded offensive lineman by PFSN’s OL+ metric. He comes into 2025 as the highest-rated of the group that returns.
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El-Hadi was decent as a run blocker, but he wasn’t called for a single sack on 732 offensive snaps in 2024. Given that Michigan’s offensive line had the most difficult strength of schedule in the nation, that in itself is an incredible feat. He also allowed just 10 pressures in pass protection.
21) Parker Brailsford, Alabama
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 89.97 (B+)
Following Kalen DeBoer’s move from Washington to Alabama in 2024, Parker Brailsford came into his first year with the Crimson Tide with high expectations. He finished sixth among returning centers and 11th for all FBS centers in OL+ metrics, so he did a pretty good job of reaching those expectations.
With an even 50-50 split between his pass snaps and run snaps, Brailsford performed much better as a pass blocker last season. He didn’t allow a single sack and just seven pressures in pass protection. However, a 61.4 PFF run-blocking grade knocks him out of the top 20.
20) Kage Casey, Boise State
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.21 (A-)
Ashton Jeanty was the headliner in Boise State’s stellar 2024 season that saw them clinch a College Football Playoff spot as the automatic Group of 5 bid. But a lot of credit should also go to his offensive line, the star of which is returning left tackle Kage Casey. He ranks as the highest-graded returning offensive lineman at the Group of 5 level.
As one would expect, given Jeanty’s success, Casey had a 76.4 PFF grade as a run blocker. He also dominated in pass protection, allowing pressures on just 1.1% of his true pass set snaps. A lower strength of schedule prevents him from ranking any higher, but he played well enough against the competition he did face to overcome that and still make the list.
19) Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.25 (A-)
Aamil Wagner started in all 16 games for Notre Dame last season, marking his first year as a full-time starting tackle. Now heading into his redshirt junior year, he can build off his momentum and solidify himself as one of the top tackles to watch in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
With 29 pressures allowed, Wagner had the highest total of pressures allowed of any offensive lineman on this list. Turning on the tape shows he’s still raw in pass protection, but his incredible physical attributes showed up in the run game, where he had a 78.1 PFF grade against a difficult strength of schedule.
18) Justin Evans, Nebraska
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.48 (A-)
The first of multiple Nebraska offensive linemen to appear on this list, Justin Evans stepped into a full-time starting role for the Cornhuskers in 2024. He played a significant role in helping Dylan Raiola break the program’s freshman passing yards record.
Evans had an allowed pressure rate of just 2.7% on 336 pass-blocking snaps, not allowing a single hit in those snaps. In general pass protection, he allowed just two sacks at left guard with ten total pressures against him in 2024.
17) Spencer Fano, Utah
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.57 (A-)
Though teammate Caleb Lomu is another one of the most highly-regarded offensive tackles returning to college for 2025, it’s Spencer Fano on the right side that comes away with the higher grade. Both project as top talents for the 2026 NFL Draft, should they declare, but Fano gets the slight edge on this list.
Fano led all FBS tackles last year with a 92.7 PFF grade, even grading higher than those who entered the NFL. Having the third-easiest strength of schedule of the 25 players on this list knocks him out of the top 15, but he led all linemen on this list with a 93.6 run-blocking grade and displayed first-round tape in the process.
16) Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.58 (A-)
The second-highest-grading offensive tackle returning to college football by PFSN’s OL+ metrics, Trey Zuhn III, is a massive lineman at 6’7″ and 315 pounds who has already proven he can hang with the SEC’s best. This will keep him strongly on NFL radars going into the season.
Going up against a gauntlet of talented edge rushers, Zuhn allowed just two sacks on the outside and had a PFF run-blocking score of 68.0 in 2024. He didn’t grade particularly elite anywhere, but he has no glaring weaknesses in his analytical profile and performed quite well with a tough strength of schedule.
15) Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.65 (A-)
Billy Schrauth is the fourth player from Notre Dame’s offensive line last season to appear in our top 25 returning collegiate offensive linemen, which speaks to how dominant the unit was last year. However, as you’ll see as the list goes on, he and Wagner are the only two who remain on the Fighting Irish heading into the 2025 season.
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Schrauth struggled as a run blocker, finishing with a PFF grade of just 62.0 on those snaps. However, he allowed just one sack all season and excelled in true pass sets against one of the toughest schedules in college football, pushing his OL+ grade up.
14) Rocco Spindler, Nebraska
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 90.80 (A-)
Rocco Spindler, an incumbent starter on Notre Dame’s offensive line in 2023, began the 2024 season as a backup. After three games playing primarily on special teams, he stepped into a starting right guard job and excelled in the role. Now, he heads to Nebraska for his final year of collegiate eligibility.
In the games he started, Spindler didn’t allow a single sack in 2024 and allowed just ten pressures on 375 pass-blocking snaps. He played a pretty mistake-free brand of football, having been called for just four penalties in 16 games. Of the 14 offensive linemen who played that many games, he tied for the second-lowest total.
13) Henry Lutovsky, Nebraska
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 91.05 (A-)
Henry Lutovsky rotated into Nebraska’s offensive line for his first three seasons with the program. He finally got his chance to shine as a full-time starter at right guard in his redshirt junior year. His OL+ grading shows that his first season in a starting role was a major success.
Lutovsky graded out with a pretty well-rounded profile. He had a PFF run-blocking grade of 73.1 playing in the Big Ten and didn’t allow a single sack all year. Additionally, he allowed pressures on just 2.7% of his 298 snaps in true pass sets and was only marked for two penalties all season.
12) Gus Zilinskas, Rutgers
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 91.11 (A-)
Heading into the 2025 season, Gus Zilinskas is one of the players listed on the Rimington Award watchlist as the best center in college football. Seeing as though he was a quality starter at Rutgers the previous two seasons, he certainly belongs as a top contender.
With a rate of just 20%, Zilinskas has the lowest pressure rate allowed on long dropbacks of any lineman on this list. He allowed just one sack on 352 true pass set snaps, though his pressure rate of 4.3% on said snaps plays a role in knocking him out of the top ten in OL+ grading.
11) Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 91.12 (A-)
Northwestern has had some good offensive tackle prospects enter the NFL recently, with both Rashawn Slater and Peter Skoronski being drafted in the first round in the last five years. If he continues developing at his current rate, Caleb Tiernan could be the next to join them, seeing as though he grades as the top returning tackle by OL+ metrics.
Tiernan’s grade is helped by a difficult schedule and his success on Northwestern’s long dropbacks. With a long dropback pressures value of 0.731, he was the second-most efficient offensive lineman and the most efficient offensive tackle of any player on this list.
10) Cayden Green, Missouri
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 91.28 (A-)
Cayden Green entered the 2024 season as a highly-touted transfer portal get for Missouri, seeing as though he started in five games as a freshman for Oklahoma in 2023. He more than lived up to the hype and now projects as one of the top interior offensive linemen in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
Cayden Green named to Sports Illustrated All-America team @SInow X @CaydenGreen3 #MIZ | #STP pic.twitter.com/pvPdeX3wcW
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) August 21, 2025
In 399 pass-blocking snaps, Green allowed just one sack and 11 pressures. He took on a higher percentage of true pass sets at 71.40%, and he fared incredibly well by not allowing a single sack and giving up just one quarterback hit.
9) Joshua Braun, Kentucky
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 91.78 (A-)
An incoming sixth-year senior with another year of eligibility due to a medical redshirt and his COVID year, Joshua Braun is a massive addition for Kentucky in the transfer portal from SEC rival Arkansas. He’s massive in the literal sense (he’s 6’6″ and 342 pounds), but he’s also a high-quality starting guard.
Having taken the fourth-most snaps in true pass sets among offensive linemen who appear on this list, Braun allowed pressures on just 2.3% of those snaps, with a larger sample size and smaller pressure rate than many on this list.
8) Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 91.94 (A-)
Oregon snagged several NFL-caliber offensive linemen in the transfer portal this offseason, including Isaiah World, Emmanuel Pregnon, and Alex Harkey. However, it’s returning center Iapani Laloulu who graded with the highest OL+ grade of the bunch last season.
His 14 penalties rank among the higher totals for offensive linemen on this list, but Laloulu didn’t allow a single sack on 500 snaps in pass protection. Grading as one of the better offensive linemen in true pass sets played a big role in getting his OL+ grade among the ten best returning blockers in college football.
7) Bryce Foster, Kansas
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 92.75 (A-)
It’s been an interesting ride for Bryce Foster, who started as a highly-touted recruit for Texas A&M but dealt with inconsistency and injury there. Since his transfer to Kansas in 2024, he’s been able to grow into the player he always had the potential to be.
Foster is one of just two players with top-25 returning OL+ grades who didn’t have a single penalty all season. He also didn’t allow a single sack in pass protection, allowing pressures on just 1.9% of his snaps in true pass sets.
6) Jake Slaughter, Florida
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 92.94 (A-)
It’s hard to top the season Jake Slaughter had as a first-team All-American center in 2024. But now that he’s returning to line up for the Gators in his final year of eligibility, he has the chance to do exactly that.
He struggled a little bit on long dropbacks in pass protection, but Slaughter allowed just one sack and nine pressures over the course of 13 games in a difficult SEC schedule. He also generated nice movement in the run game, finishing the season with an 80.1 PFF grade as a run blocker.
5) Logan Jones, Iowa
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 93.00 (A)
The latest in a deep crop of Iowa offensive linemen, Logan Jones was a first-team All-Big Ten player who generated some NFL Draft buzz for his play in 2024. Ultimately, he decided to stay in school for another year, making him the second-highest returning center by PFSN’s OL+ metric going into 2025.
Jones’ 82.3 PFF run-blocking grade trails only Brady Small and Ar’maj Reed-Adams among offensive linemen appearing on this list. He also didn’t allow a single sack in pass protection and had an allowed pressure rate of just 2.7% of true pass set-blocking snaps.
4) Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 94.01 (A)
Olaivavega Ioane showed some encouraging flashes for Penn State in 2023, when he started five games as a redshirt freshman. However, it was in 2024, when a starting spot became available at left guard, that he truly displayed his full potential.
Having not allowed a single sack in pass protection, Ioane was as reliable as they come protecting Drew Allar in 2024. His 3.9% allowed pressure rate on true pass sets was rather middle of the road for players on this list, but his strength of schedule and lack of major lapses as a pass blocker land him in the top five in PFSN’s OL+ grading.
3) Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 94.97 (A)
Originally an offensive lineman at Kansas, Ar’maj Reed-Adams jumped to Texas A&M in 2024. He slid into their starting right guard role without a hitch, and he heads into the 2025 season as not just one of the top guards in the nation, but one of the best offensive linemen overall.
Reed-Adams got called for 20 penalties in 2024, which is the most of any lineman on this list. But his ranking is this high despite those issues, which shows just how dominant he was. He had an 85.9 PFF run-blocking grade and didn’t allow a single sack in true pass-blocking dropbacks against one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
2) Pat Coogan, Indiana
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 95.00 (A)
Interestingly enough, Pat Coogan started the 2024 season on the bench for Notre Dame. When injuries arose, he stepped into the starting lineup at center and excelled in the Fighting Irish’s run to the national championship game. Now, he looks to carry that same momentum over to Indiana.
Coogan allowed pressures of just 1.7% of his true pass sets, excelling under a demanding workload; his true dropback rate of 72.60% was one of the highest among linemen on this list. He was much better in pass protection than he was as a run blocker, though his success against the sixth-toughest schedule gets him high marks.
1) Tomas Rimac, Virginia Tech
2024 PFSN College OL+ Grade: 95.02 (A)
Tomas Rimac was a stellar addition for Virginia Tech in the transfer portal this offseason, having come over from West Virginia after a stellar 2024 season at left guard. He started 29 games during his time with the Mountaineers, and his last season there was good enough to earn him the top OL+ grade among returning collegiate offensive linemen.
In 445 pass-blocking reps, Rimac didn’t allow a single sack at left guard. Two hundred ninety-five of those were true pass set dropbacks, and he allowed just one hit and four hurries on those stats. He was also a solid run blocker with a 77.3 PFF grade, making him one of the most well-rounded linemen and the top-graded lineman overall in OL+ grading.
