Breaking down the top OL classes in the 2027 cycle so far

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While flips and decommitments will still likely come in droves this fall, a majority of the blue-chip prospects in the 2027 recruiting cycle are already off the board.

Many programs have nearly fleshed out their entire class before the end of summer. Some schools have prioritized and landed multiple top targets on the offensive line.

When looking at the offensive tackle and interior offensive line positions, there are a combined 57 blue-chip prospects in the cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. Of those 57, just three remain uncommitted, as of July 6.

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Rivals is breaking down which schools are building the best trench hauls this cycle coming out of a jam-packed June that witnessed more than 130 blue-chip commitments overall.

Texas A&M

Five-Star Plus+ OT Mark Matthews (No. 5 NATL., No. 1 OT)
5-star IOL Kennedy Brown (No. 25 NATL., No. 3 IOL)
4-star OT Kaeden Scott (No. 194 NATL., No. 15 OT)
4-star OT DeMarrion Johnson (No. 232 NATL., No. 19 OT)

Texas A&M’s top-ranked recruiting class is loaded at just about every position group, but the OL haul is up there with the best of them. Head coach Mike Elko, position coach Adam Cushing and the Aggies have landed two five-stars in the trenches.

They went to the Sunshine State and beat Miami for Matthews, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle who’s long been one of the nation’s best at the position. He’s now the No. 1 recruit in Florida. He committed in May, just a few weeks after Brown did the same. The No. 3 player in the Lone Star State was trending toward College Station in the weeks leading up to his decision and he’s also locked in ahead of his senior season.

Like Brown, both Scott and Johnson are in-state stars who chose A&M. They’ve each been committed for a while, however. Johnson has now been pledged for nearly a year, while Scott jumped in the boat this January. Despite being top-20 tackles nationally, neither are in the 10 highest-ranked commits in A&M’s loaded class.

Notre Dame

5-star OT Olu Olubobola (No. 18 NATL., No. 2 OT)
5-star IOL Albert Simien (No. 20 NATL., No. 2 IOL)
4-star IOL James Halter (No. 93 NATL., No. 8 IOL)
4-star IOL Richie Flanigan (No. 358 NATL., No. 23 IOL)
3-star OT Jackson Hill (No. 420 NATL., No. 33 OT)

The other program that currently holds multiple five-star commits on the O-line, Notre Dame has built the nation’s No. 2 class and it’s headlined in the trenches.

Head coach Marcus Freeman, OL coach Joe Rudolph and the Irish have closed on most of their top targets this cycle, including Olubobola and Simien. The former is the No. 1 recruit in New Jersey who locked in on May 12, choosing ND over Miami and Texas A&M. The latter is the No. 3 recruit in Louisiana who just pledged on June 26, also choosing the Irish over A&M.

Halter and Flanigan are both quintessential Notre Dame targets and they’ve both been in the class since the fall. Halter’s stock has continued to rise ahead of his senior season. Flanigan is an ND legacy. The Irish added Hill to the class this May and he’s someone who could rise up to blue-chip status this fall, too.

Ohio State

4-star IOL Caden Moss (No. 45 NATL., No. 5 IOL)
4-star IOL Kellen Wymer (No. 64 NATL., No. 6 IOL)
4-star OT Jimmy Kalis (No. 291 NATL., No. 25 OT)
4-star IOL Brody McNeel (No. 351 NATL., No. 22 IOL)
4-star IOL Mason Wilt (No. 385 NATL., No. 26 IOL)
3-star IOL Davis Seaman (No. 411 NATL., No. 28 IOL)

The deepest OL haul this cycle belongs to Ohio State. Position coach Tyler Bowen has emerged as one of the best recruiters in the nation and he’s got quite the group pledged to the Buckeyes.

The newest addition is also the highest-ranked. Ohio State came from behind late to beat Ole Miss and Kentucky for Moss, the No. 1 recruit in Mississippi. He’s now one of four top-50 overall prospects in the class — which sits at No. 7 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Each of the other five OL commits in the class have been off the board for a while. Wymer, the No. 2 player in Ohio, has seen his stock rise since pledging back in November. McNeel and Wilt also committed that month.

This April saw both Kalis and Seaman choose OSU. The former is an NFL legacy recruit and is now the No. 10 player in Pennsylvania. He chose the Buckeyes over Georgia and Miami.

Oklahoma

5-star OT Kaeden Penny (No. 31 NATL., No. 3 OT)
4-star OT Cooper Hackett (No. 40 NATL., No. 4 OT)
3-star OT Luke Wilson (No. 538 NATL., No. 46 OT)
3-star IOL Isaac Coughran (No. 608 NATL., No. 44 IOL)
3-star IOL Tyson Ross (No. 773 NATL., No. 58 IOL)
3-star IOL Jaxon Lawler (No. 1,038 NATL., No. 82 IOL)

Oklahoma OL coach Bill Bedenbaugh has long been one of the best in the game. The Sooners are always in the hunt for top trench monsters and they’ve got a pair committed this cycle.

Penny and Hackett each committed on Sept. 25 last fall and both have remained rock-solid since. Hackett was the first to pledge, flipping away from Texas Tech in what remains one of the cycle’s biggest flips. He was formerly a five-star and remains on the cusp of the top 32 this summer. Penny has climbed the ranks ahead of his senior season. The pair are also the No. 1 and No. 3 players in Oklahoma, respectively.

They are surrounded by a quartet of three-stars, three of whom hail from the Lone Star State. Wilson has been committed since August and plays for Southlake Carroll, one of the nation’s top high school programs. Both Coughran and Ross committed in March. The latter is the No. 5 player in Kansas this cycle.

Florida

Five-Star Plus+ IOL Maxwell Hiller (No. 3 NATL., No. 1 IOL)
4-star OT Elijah Hutcheson (No. 103 NATL., No. 10 OT)
4-star IOL Peyton Miller (No. 130 NATL., No. 11 IOL)

Florida head coach Jon Sumrall and position coach Phil Trautwein currently have just three OL commits in the mix. It’s a massive trio, however.

It all starts with Hiller. The 6-foot-5.5, 305-pounder chose the Gators over Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee. He’s been the nation’s No. 1 interior O-lineman for a majority of the cycle and he remains the class jewel in Gainesville.

Hiller committed on April 8. Later that month, he was joined by Miller, the No. 19 player in Texas this cycle. The beginning of May then brought Hutcheson, the No. 2 recruit out of Virginia. UF beat out Clemson for his pledge.

Even if Florida doesn’t add any additional beef to its 2027 class, it is set to bring some serious firepower to the room next year. The Gators currently have the nation’s No. 8 class, as of July 6.

Other notable OL classes

Texas
5-star IOL Ismael Camara (No. 29 NATL., No. 4 IOL)
4-star OT Brian Swanson (No. 218 NATL., No. 17 OT)
3-star IOL Keyon Hemphill-Woods (No. 483 NATL., No. 35 IOL)
3-star IOL Lucas Rhoa (No. 616 NATL., No. 46 IOL)
3-star IOL Jackson Cook (No. 967 NATL., No. 76 IOL)

Clemson
4-star IOL Luke Starcevic (No. 225 NATL., No. 16 IOL)
4-star OT JJ Brown (No. 252 NATL., No. 20 OT)
4-star IOL Elijah Morrison (No. 362 NATL., No. 24 IOL)
3-star IOL Carter Jones (No. 434 NATL., No. 31 IOL)

Georgia
4-star OT Kennedee Jackson (No. 81 NATL., No. 6 OT)
4-star OT Kelsey Adams (No. 138 NATL., No. 12 OT)
3-star OT Ty Johnson (No. 521 NATL., No. 45 OT)
3-star OT DJ Dotson (No. 543 NATL., No. 47 OT)
3-star IOL Abram Eisenhower (No. 587 NATL., No. 42 IOL)

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