As we enter the dog days of summer, AY takes a look at each position group and asks five important questions. We continue the series with the offensive line.
1. Are the starters on the line set?
Not totally. Trey Zuhn, Chase Bisontis and Ar’maj Reed-Adams are set at left tackle, left guard and right guard, but there’s still competition at center and right tackle.
2. Who's going to be the starting center?
It’s between Mark Nabou and Koli Faaiu. Nabou won the job last year but got hurt early, and Faaiu played most of the rest of the season. He was ok, but didn’t play well enough to guarantee the starting job. Nabou was back with the first team this spring and I think he’ll be the guy this fall if healthy.
3. What about at right tackle?
Deuce Fatheree still has a chance, but Dametrious Crownover will be tough to unset. Very quietly, Crownover had an excellent second half of the season and has developed physically into an absolute monster. Fatheree is going to play and is a key piece to the line puzzle, but Crownover has earned the right to start.
4. Who are the backups?
Right now, the backups appear to be Robert Bourdon at left tackle, Papa Ahfua at left guard, Ashton Funk behind Nabou and Faaiu at center, Blake Ivy at right guard and Lamont Rogers behind Crownover and Fatheree at right tackle. I feel pretty confident the backups at the interior positions won’t change during camp; I’m not sure about the tackle spots. But, if we’re honest, an injury to Zuhn likely moves Fatheree into the lineup at one of the tackle positions.
5. All right, could this line be one of the best in the country?
They could be. The combination of Zuhn/Bisontis/Nabou/Reed-Adams/Crownover brings a combined 126 starts to the table, so a lack of experience is not something they have to worry about. Zuhn is one of the most polished tackles in FBS, and Reed-Adams is considered by some analysts to be the best interior linemen in the nation heading into this season. Bisontis showed he is in his element at left guard and Crownover is now a legit FBS right tackle. If they can work as a cohesive unit and avoid injuries, they should be one of the 10 best lines in the nation.
