We’re continuing our 2025 preseason position group rankings with a deep dive into the offensive lines across the Big 12. Offensive line play is one of the most critical—yet often underappreciated—aspects of any team’s success, and the rankings reflect a mix of returning experience, transfer portal additions, and future potential. As always, our system awards 16 points to the top-ranked team, 15 to the second, and so on, with each contributor—Craig, Matt, and Zack—submitting their own ballots. We then total those scores to create the final composite ranking.
This year, there was no debate at the very top: Utah was a unanimous No. 1 across all three ballots, thanks to the elite duo of Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu and a unit that looks like one of the best in the country. Things got much tighter after that. Both Texas Tech and Arizona State came close to consensus picks, and they were right in the thick of our top-tier discussion. We also ended up with two ties in the final results—Arizona State and Kansas State share the No. 3 spot, while Cincinnati and TCU are deadlocked at No. 8. There were a few teams we generally agreed on, like Baylor, Iowa State, and BYU, and others where our evaluations were wildly different—Colorado, Houston, and Arizona in particular sparked very different reactions across the board. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see our full rankings and how each of us voted for all 16 Big 12 offensive line units.
Heartland Sports Consensus Big 12 Offensive Line Rankings
| RANKING | POINTS |
|---|---|
| 1. Utah | 48 |
| 2. Texas Tech | 40 |
| 3. Arizona State | 35 |
| 3. Kansas State | 35 |
| 5.Baylor | 34 |
| 6. Iowa State | 33 |
| 7. Kansas | 28 |
| 8. Cincinnati | 26 |
| 8. TCU | 26 |
| 10. BYU | 25 |
| 11. Oklahoma State | 19 |
| 12. Colorado | 16 |
| 13. Houston | 14 |
| 14. West Virginia | 12 |
| 15. UCF | 9 |
| 16. Arizona | 8 |
Individual Rankings
Craig
1. Utah | The Utes are set to have one of the best offensive lines in all of college football. Spencer Fano led the FBS with a 92.7 overall grade a year ago. He will be returning alongside left tackle Caleb Lomu. Lomu has a great shot at being a first round pick if he lives up to his expectations.
2. Arizona State | Arizona State did lose their center to the NFL, but will be returning four other starters. This group will be the most experienced in the conference.
3. Texas Tech | The Red Raiders were horrible on the offensive line last year. They went out and made some moves in the portal to put themselves towards the top of the conference. They were able to sign 3 top 15 offensive lineman through the portal.
4. Baylor
5. Iowa State
6. Kansas State
7. Colorado
8. BYU
9. Cincinnati
10. Kansas
11. Houston
12. TCU
13. Arizona
14. Oklahoma State
15. UCF | The Knights come in towards the bottom of my list due to only returning one starter. An offensive line takes time, and very rarely do you see one thrive that is quickly thrown together.
16. West Virginia | The Mountaineers are replacing a majority of their starters in 2025 and a large chunk of that comes from the offensive line. They picked up a few guys in the portal, but still lost a ton of experience.
Matt
1. Utah | The Utes enter the 2025 season with one of the most experienced and cohesive offensive lines in college football, returning all five starters from last year. Anchored by standout right tackle Spencer Fano—a projected top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft—and veteran center Jaren Kump, who has played in 47 career games, the unit blends elite talent with leadership and versatility. Joining them are Tanoa Togiai, Michael Mokofisi, and Caleb Lomu, another NFL-caliber lineman, making this group a potential national standout. Under the guidance of longtime offensive line coach Jim Harding and a new offensive coordinator installing a fresh system, Utah’s front five are well-positioned to be the foundation of the team’s success this fall.
2. Kansas State | Kansas State’s offensive line is one of the most intriguing position groups heading into the 2025 season, blending returning leadership with a wave of new talent. While veterans Taylor Poitier and Sam Hecht return to anchor the interior, the Wildcats will rely on at least three new starters—including high-profile transfers JB Nelson (Penn State), Terrence Enos (Pittsburgh), and George Fitzpatrick (Ohio State)—to round out the unit. Under new offensive line coach Brian Lepak, the focus this offseason has been on building depth and competition, with the starting five likely not solidified until preseason camp.
3. Texas Tech | The Red Raider offensive line remains a work in progress, but the preseason outlook shows tangible steps toward the improvement we’ve heard talked about. The projected starting lineup features three key transfers—Howard Sampson, Hunter Zambrano, and Will Jados—brought in to stabilize a unit that’s top-heavy with upperclassmen but thin on ready-made depth. Center appears set with Sheridan Wilson, while position battles have unfolded at guard, notably with recent transfer Cash Cleveland potentially stepping into a backup role after Dylan Shaw’s departure. The left tackle spot is locked down by Sampson, with young talent like Daniel Sill and Jacob Ponton developing behind him. While the current roster leans heavily on experienced transfers to bridge the gap, the influx of 12 redshirt and true freshmen should help rebuild the depth chart for the future, preventing the need for similar short-term fixes down the road. Without these transfers, Tech’s offensive line—and likely the team as a whole—would be in a much more uncertain position.
4. Kansas
5. Cincinnati
6. Oklahoma State
7. Iowa State
8. West Virginia
9. Baylor
10. TCU
11. BYU
12. Arizona State
13. UCF
14. Arizona
15. Colorado | The Buffs’ offensive line enters the 2025 season with a mix of cautious optimism and renewed expectations, thanks to a massive influx of experienced transfers and improved continuity. Led by sophomore left tackle Jordan Seaton, who started all 13 games last season and is already being hailed as one of the Big 12’s best, the Buffs return four linemen who combined for 41 starts in 2024. Despite last season’s improvements, the line still ranked last nationally in rushing and gave up the most sacks for the second straight year. Head coach Deion Sanders responded aggressively, bringing in nine veteran transfers—including All-Conference performers like Xavier Hill and Zy Crisler—who average over 320 pounds and bring thousands of career snaps with them. With new position coaches, led by Gunnar White, and a fresh wave of talent competing for starting roles, Colorado hopes this version of the line can finally deliver consistent protection and establish a credible ground game in 2025.
16. Houston | Houston’s offensive line in 2025 is a blend of veteran leadership and transfer portal reinforcements, aiming to revitalize a ground game that lacked punch last season. Anchored by returning starters David Ndukwe at left tackle and Demetrius Hunter at center, the Cougars are surrounding their core with four new faces from the portal who bring a combined 68 starts and nearly 5,000 career FBS snaps. Texas Tech transfer Dalton Merryman projects as the standout among the new additions, expected to solidify the edge. With so much experience injected into the lineup, Houston’s offensive line now faces the challenge of quickly building chemistry and generating the push needed to jumpstart the run game.
Zack
1. Utah | The Utes have arguably one of the top offensive lines in the entire country, so they’re the obvious choice here. Spencer Fano is widely regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the nation, and both he and Caleb Lomu are preseason All-Big 12 picks.
2. Arizona State | The reigning Big 12 Champs have one of the most experienced offensive lines as they return 4 of their 5 starters from a season ago. Center Ben Coleman, who has started in 36 games he’s played over the last 3 years, is also a preseason All-Big 12 selection.
3. TCU | The Horned Frogs struggled to run the ball last season, but they did have excellent pass protection from the offensive line. They have a really deep group, and I expect them to be surprisingly great in both areas of offense with the line being a big reason.
4. Baylor
5. Texas Tech
6. Iowa State
7. BYU
8. Kansas State
9. Kansas
10. Houston
11. Cincy
12. OSU
13. Colorado
14. UCF
15. WVU | The Mountaineers have basically a brand new offensive line this season with Nick Krahe and Landen Livingston returning from last year, but with only a single start between the two of them. The rest of the line will be filled out by incoming transfers, so they have a lot to figure out if they want to move up this list.
16. Arizona | The Wildcats return a few guys from a pretty bad offensive line a season ago, but nobody saw significant field time. The transfers they brought in aren’t anything too exciting, either, so they could be in for another rough season.
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