The AAC hasn’t had a truly dominant offensive tackle since Tulsa’s Tyler Smith in 2021. To add insult to injury, one of the top returning players who lined up at tackle last season won’t play at the position this year, with Memphis’s Xavier Hill kicking inside to guard.
Nevertheless, there is still talent on the 2024 AAC OT Rankings, especially if the No. 1 player returns to his 2021 form.
AAC 2024 OT Rankings
10) Spencer Cassell, Rice Owls
The 2023 season marked Spencer Cassell’s first as a starter, and it was one heck of a coming-out party. He earned second-team All-Ivy League honors, stonewalling defenders from his right tackle spot.
Of course, Ivy League competition is far from the SEC, but Cassell ended the year on a tear, mauling Columbia, Penn, and Yale before transferring to Rice. He’s hit the ground running with the Owls, already putting on 11 pounds from his playing weight at Harvard (282 to 293).
9) Derrick Graham, Tulane Green Wave
In 2019, Derrick Graham became the first Troy true freshman to start on the offensive line since 2015, playing on the first team for nine games at right tackle. He redshirted the following season before serving as the Trojans’ sixth offensive lineman on run-blocking downs in 2022.
However, Graham was reinserted into the starting lineup as the left tackle last season and helped lead the program to its second straight Sun Belt title. Texas A&M earned his commitment in the offseason, but after a few months down the depth chart with the program, Graham opted to hit the portal once more.
At Tulane, he’ll be tasked with protecting Oregon transfer QB Ty Thompson’s blindside and paving lanes for all-world RB Makhi Hughes.
8) DJ Jones, UAB Blazers
A transfer from FCS Murray State, DJ Jones may have fallen under radars, but not the Shrine Bowl’s, as he made the senior showcase’s 1,000-player watch list for 2024. He started at RT for three years with the Racers and had a strong outing against Louisville in Week 2 last season.
UAB head coach Trent Dilfer said Jones is “more athletic than we saw on tape” and isn’t “a guy who is comfortable where he’s at. Every day, he’s striving to get better.”
Jones quickly cracked the first team at right tackle and even received reps at LT during the spring.
7) Jordan Herman, Charlotte 49ers
Jordan Herman is one of the biggest humans who will see a collegiate football field in 2024. At 6’5″ and 355 pounds, AAC defenders will struggle to deal with him at the point of attack.
MORE: AAC Strength of Schedule
Herman spent the last two years with the Florida Gators after beginning his career at Hutchinson C.C. He rarely saw the field but is down roughly 20 pounds from his last listed weight in “The Swamp,” so the AAC could be in for a rude awakening in his first year as a full-time starter.
6) Connor McMahon, Navy Midshipmen
The Midshipmen threw a whopping 199 times last season, by far their most passing attempts since 2001. It certainly helps that they have a left tackle like Connor McMahon to keep the QB clean.
McMahon started at left guard in 2022 but moved to LT last season and actually improved in pass protection.
While his light frame (6’4″ and 279 pounds) can be an issue against bigger, more powerful pass rushers, McMahon knows how to maximize his tools, especially as a run blocker.
5) Jordyn Law, Army Black Knights
Despite only starting in Week 1 last season, Jordyn Law has exhibited the skill set of a top-five player in the 2024 AAC OT Rankings. At 6’5” and 310 pounds, he’s an imposing presence up front, and his blend of size, strength, and quickness allows him to move bodies as a run blocker, a critical aspect of Army’s ground-heavy attack.
Now, Law will need to play the majority of the season to retain his ranking, as outside of 2021, he hasn’t played more than eight games in a single year, let alone start in that many.
4) Jaylen Nichols, Memphis Tigers
Memphis scored a major addition to their offensive line with the transfer of Jaylen Nichols from South Carolina. Not only does he bring SEC pedigree and a well-rounded skill set to the AAC, but his massive size (6’5”, 330) will suffocate the conference’s smaller defensive linemen.
The biggest issue with Nichols is health. He started four games as a true freshman but missed the remainder of the season due to a high ankle sprain. The injury saw him fall down the depth chart in 2020, as he barely saw the field. Then, in 2021, he started the first four games, missed time with an injury, and then started the final three contests.
The 2022 season proved to be the same story, different year, as Nichols started the first two games, missed the matchup with Georgia due to injury, came off the bench for five games while rehabbing, and returned to the starting lineup for the season’s last five outings.
The injury bug struck once again in 2023, as Nichols tore his ACL in the Gamecocks’ spring game, ending his season before it began.
When on the field, Nichols is a difference-maker, but the first part of the sentence is why he can’t be ranked any higher.
3) Venly Tatafu, UTSA Roadrunners
UTSA’s Venly Tatafu lands at No. 3 on the 2024 AAC OT rankings, highlighting his value as a cornerstone of the Roadrunners’ offensive line. He’s now listed at 6’4″ and 345 pounds, which is 20 pounds heavier than his 2023 roster weight, which could signal a switch to guard. But as he’s started 16 games at LT over the last two years, we’ll keep him there until we see otherwise.
Tatafu’s physicality and football IQ make him a reliable protector, and his experience will be pivotal as UTSA will have a new face under center (Owen McCown) for the first time since 2019 with Frank Harris gone.
2) Rashad Green, Tulane Green Wave
Rashad Green’s 6’4″ and 300-pound build is rather average at tackle, but his quick feet and athleticism make him a natural in both phases. He enters his fourth year as a starter for the Green Wave and is as consistent as they come on the offensive line.
As Tulane roared to their fourth 11+ win season in program history, Green paved the way to third-team All-AAC honors. With Graham in place opposite him, the two should form one of the most dominant OT duos in the conference.
1) Makai Hart, UTSA Roadrunners
Makai Hart’s placement at No. 1 on the 2024 AAC OT Rankings may seem misguided as he has played two games in each of the last two seasons before suffering season-ending injuries. However, Hart is by far the best tackle in the conference when healthy, as he showed in 2020 and 2021.
KEEP READING: 2024 All-AAC College Football Preseason Team and Individual Honors
Protecting Harris’ blindside (he was a lefty), Hart earned second-team All-AAC recognition in 2020 and an honorable mention in 2021. That year, he helped the offense set several school records:
- Total yards (6,146)
- Total yards per game (439.0)
- passing yards (3,577)
- Passing yards per game (255.5)
- Points scored (516)
- Points per game (36.9)
Staying on the field will be Hart’s biggest concern, but if his body can withstand the season, there’s no doubt he’ll have a shot at first-team all-conference honors in 2024.
2024 AAC OT Rankings | 11-20
11) Hampton Ergle, East Carolina
12) Ma’Kyi Lee, North Texas
13) Daughtry Richardson, FAU
14) Keydrell Lewis, Memphis
15) Ethan Onianwa, Rice
16) Trey Cummings, Navy
17) Derek Bowman, USF
18) RJ Perry, USF
19) Jacob Waller, Tulsa
20) Luke Watson, Temple
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