Offensive tackle is one of the weaker position groups in the conference, but the top of the 2024 CUSA OT Rankings features athletes with pro potential. Who checks in at No. 1, and which other bookends deserve recognition?
CUSA 2024 OT Rankings
10) Jacob Kettels, Kennesaw State Owls
Jacob Kettels never truly found his footing in four years at Montana State, but he’s a perfect fit for Kennesaw State’s option-based offense. After missing the 2021 season with an injury, Kettels was thrust into the starting lineup for the final seven games in 2022. He played well at right tackle, particularly as a run blocker.
Even though he returned to his backup role in 2023, Kettels proved his mettle as the starter against North Dakota State in the second round of the playoffs.
9) Daniel Keys, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
At 6’5″ and 344 pounds, Daniel Keys is a mammoth of a human. He’s also a … large … reason why FCS-level Stephen F. Austin generated 1,700+ yards on the ground the last two seasons. Keys’ weight can cause issues versus quicker pass rushers and when he plays over his toes, but he has the brute strength to knock defenders into the shadow realm.
8) Orion Irving, Sam Houston Bearkats
As a redshirt freshman, Orion Irving wasn’t expected to see the field too often in 2023. Yet, he was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 6 and flipped between RT and LT the rest of the year. Not only was he able to hold his own, but Irving showed he was ready to be a full-time starter.
With another offseason to hone his craft and significant experience under his belt, 2024 should be Irving’s coming-out party.
7) Travis Burke, FIU Panthers
Travis Burke is also a massive man, just not in the same way as Keys. Standing 6’9″ and 306 pounds, he’s one of the tallest and longest linemen in the nation. He helped keep true freshman Keyone Jenkins clean at left tackle (not Jenkins’ blind side, as he’s a lefty) and had no issue pancaking defenders in the ground game.
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Burke split his time at both tackle positions in his first year as a starter at Gardner-Webb in 2022, but his growth was substantial last year. Another step forward in 2024 would cement his place as one of the best OTs in the conference.
6) Jack Tucker, Liberty Flames
Jack Tucker didn’t start a single game last year, but he saw meaningful snaps in nearly every game. He’ll assume the starting LT role this season as the Flames attempt to go undefeated in the regular season for the second consecutive year.
The Texas Tech transfer has the size (6’7″, 310 pounds), length, and movement skills to keep star QB Kaidon Salter upright and spring RBs Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas free on the ground.
5) Isaiah Wright, UTEP Miners
While Isaiah Wright is only 6’3″ and 307 pounds, he proved to be one of the FCS’s premier OTs across 22 starts at LT in two seasons at Austin Peay. According to his roster profile, Wright allowed just two sacks and QB hits on 196 pass-pro reps en route to first-team All-UAC honors last year. Longer, more powerful EDGEs can pose a problem, but Wright’s technique and lower center of gravity make him a difficult roadblock.
4) JaDarious Lee, FIU Panthers
When you watch JaDarious Lee’s 2023 tape, it’s a coin flip on which tackle position he’ll line up on any given play. He started the last two games of the year at left tackle, including an impressive performance against Arkansas in Week 12. He’s projected to start at RT this year, solidifying Jenkins’ blindside.
Head coach Mike MacIntyre believes Lee is the team’s best offensive lineman, and he’ll have a chance to validate that belief in 2024.
3) Will O’Steen, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
In just two and a half years at Jacksonville State, Will O’Steen obtained his undergraduate degree in biology. And while he was playing his way to an All-CUSA honorable mention, he started his Master of Science in biology — talk about a dual-threat.
The Gamecocks finished the regular season with the fifth-best rushing offense, thanks in large part to O’Steen’s play on the left side. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had a doctorate and a first/second-team all-conference nod by this time next year.
2) Xavior Gray, Liberty Flames
We know Keys is the heaviest. We know Burke is the tallest. But what if you combined the two? Introducing Xavior Gray, Liberty’s resident 6’8″, 340-pound mountain. After spending four years at Akron, he joined the Flames last offseason and stonewalled his way to an All-CUSA honorable mention. With the element of surprise behind him, Gray will have the opportunity to display an elevated level of play in 2024.
1) Shiyazh Pete, New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete earned first-team All-CUSA recognition in 2023, helping power an offense that scored an impressive 27.5 points per game. At 6’8″ and 320 pounds, it would take a bulldozer to plow through him, which defenders found out in the ground game last year.
KEEP READING: 2024 Conference USA Power Rankings
Pete started all 15 games for the Aggies and anchored a unit that was 13th nationally in tackles for loss allowed (1.60) and 14th in rushing yards per game (198.7). His dominance in the trenches earned him a spot on the Outland Trophy watch list this offseason, highlighting his reputation as one of the top linemen in the nation.
2024 CUSA OT Rankings | 11-20
11) Cedric Claiborne, New Mexico State
12) Nate Wright, Kennesaw State
13) Marshall Jackson, Western Kentucky
14) Graceson Jackson-Smith, Sam Houston
15) Brennan Smith, UTEP
16) Cam Jones, Jacksonville State
17) Michael Ondelacy, Western Kentucky
18) J’Shun Bodiford, Middle Tennessee State
19) Ashanti Cole, Louisiana Tech
20) Morgan Scott, Middle Tennessee State
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