2026 FSU Position Previews: Offensive line
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After spring, some position groups are already set in stone heading into the season.
The offensive line is not one of those.
Head coach Mike Norvell and offensive line coach Herb Hand are replacing all five starters from an up-and-down offensive line a season ago, and almost none of the positions, outside of left tackle, appear nailed down. In fact, some of the highest-profile position battles before week zero on the whole team should be at the guard-center-guard spots. Will Florida State’s blue-chip OL recruits finally pay dividends, or will transfers dominate like usual in the trenches?
FSU position previews: Offensive line
2025 lookback: Like most of the position lookbacks so far, the stats and the eye test tell two different stories. Florida State ran the ball effectively last year, ranking 11th in the country in rushing yards per game, and finished middle of the pack in sacks allowed, even with a mobile quarterback, yet they all felt like empty calories. The Seminoles lacked enough firepower up front to truly take over games with their OL, and when they needed a big play or something to shift momentum, they rarely delivered.
Left tackle
Main name to know
- Redshirt senior Xavier Chaplin: Even though Chaplin plays left tackle, he reminds me a lot of Micah Pettus, FSU’s right tackle from a year ago. Chaplin is a true mountain of a man, listed at 6’8” and over 350 pounds. He also spent time in the SEC and started 12 games for Auburn a season ago. Like Pettus, Chaplin has yet to put it all together, but he will be the anchor to the OL in 2026 and will have every chance to put himself on NFL Draft boards this year.
Returning players
- Redshirt sophomore Jayden Todd: Now entering his third year with the program, it is now or never for Jayden Todd. He has paid his dues after not appearing in a game in 2024 and playing most of his snaps on special teams in 2025, but can he carve out a role for himself this season? Listed at 6’6” 314 pounds, Todd could play inside or outside and be a swing OL for a unit that could always use more depth. For this exercise, his length keeps him at tackle and gives him the chance to be the top backup for Chaplin.
New faces
- Freshman Nikau Hepi: Hepi will almost certainly not see the field in 2026, and he is about as raw a prospect as it gets, but his story warrants his position on the list. The true freshman stands 6’7” and 370 pounds out of the NFL Academy in New Zealand. Who knows if the physical tools are molded into a starting offensive lineman, but his development will be fun to monitor.
Left guard
Main name to know
- Redshirt junior Andre Otto: Like most of the homegrown offensive linemen, it has been a rocky journey for Otto to get to this point. However, now entering his fourth year at Florida State, Otto has the inside track to start the season at left guard. Florida State did take multiple interior offensive linemen out of the portal, but none of them jump off the page as surefire starters. With a strong fall camp, Otto will be the name written down at LG to begin the year.
New faces
- Sophomore Paul Bowling: Bowling is the first of three interior offensive line transfers Florida State took out of the portal, and it would not shock me if all three started to begin the year, while they will all almost certainly see the field at some point in 2026. Bowling is the youngest of the three, but after an impressive freshman season at Troy, he makes the jump to P4. He could play center or guard, but considering the competition at center and his time playing left guard at Troy, Bowling will push Otto to be the starter at LG in week zero.
Center
Main name to know
- R-Jr. Bradyn Welch-Joiner: After starting 12 games with Purdue a season ago, Welch-Joiner instantly became one of Florida State’s most experienced offensive linemen when he stepped on campus. The staff made him a priority out of the transfer portal, and he would almost certainly be the starting center if not for the expected growth of Thompson at the position. Either way, Welch-Joiner is the odds-on favorite to win the job to start the year, and if not, he will be a starter at guard. Hand and Norvell will have him in the starting five no matter what.
Returning players
- Redshirt junior Sandman Thompson: Thompson appears to be a recruiting success story for FSU, as he was unheralded out of high school, but impressed during his redshirt freshman season, and will push for playing time in 2026. Outside of Otto, he seems the most likely homegrown name to win a starting job along the offensive line, although he really only plays center. For anybody who wants to see high-school recruits play over transfers, Thompson would be at the top of the list for who to root for in fall camp competitions.
Right guard
Main name to know
- Redshirt senior Nate Pabst: Pabst is the last of the three IOL names listed, but will almost certainly have a starting job come August. The redshirt senior earned second-team All-MAC in 2025 at Bowling Green and started 38 games during his time with the Falcons. He could also kick out to tackle with his size at 6’7”, but he seems likely to be the starter at right guard.
New faces
- Freshman Jakobe Green: The deputy right guard position will most likely be filled by Bowling if he does not earn a starting role, but Green profiles as an interesting project. He is a panhandle kid who flipped from Mississippi State last June and stayed committed to Florida State throughout the season. The Seminoles will hope that he can push for playing time in year two, like Thompson did.
Right tackle
Main name to know
- Redshirt junior Chimdia Nwaiwu: Nwaiwu was a late addition to FSU’s transfer portal class, and after playing in the FCS ranks a season ago, it was unclear what impact he would make this upcoming season. However, a strong spring camp put him in pole position to be the starting right tackle in 2025. He has the physical traits to hold up on the outside, but the question will be how quickly he can handle the speed of the game at the P4 level.
Returning players
- Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Daniels: All of what was said about the other homegrown offensive lineman can be copied and pasted here. Daniels enters his third year in the program with loads of physical potential and a chance to push out a transfer for a starting spot along the OL. Some thought he might be a name who would leave the program via the portal last offseason because of a lack of playing time, but he decided to stay. It would be a success story for Norvell and his recruiting if they could develop Daniels, a Pensacola native, into a serviceable right tackle.
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