All eyes will be on Jacksonville State Gamecocks guard Clay Webb, and for good reason, but he isn’t the only interior offensive lineman worth watching this season in Conference USA.
No team has all three of its projected starters in the top 10, but four programs lead the prestigious grouping in the 2024 CUSA IOL Rankings.
CUSA 2024 IOL Rankings
10) Ethan Newman, G, Kennesaw State Owls
The 2023 season was Ethan Newman’s true freshman year, and he only played in four games to retain his redshirt. However, in his limited action (three starts), Newman showcased his versatility by flipping between left guard and right guard midgame. But he didn’t just line up at both spots; he excelled at them.
Newman’s best outing came against a new conference foe in the Sam Houston Bearkats, which could be a sign of things to come in 2024.
9) Zarian McGill, C, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Zarian McGill began his career at Jones College, a JUCO in Mississippi. There, he received back-to-back All-Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference selections (2021: First Team; 2020: Second Team) before earning a spot on the University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks’ starting front for the last two years.
McGill’s efforts culminated in an All-Sun Belt Second Team nod in 2023, as the offense generated 2,000+ yards on the ground. Yet, his best work actually comes in pass protection, as he rarely allows pressure up the middle.
8) Brock Robey, C, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Webb receives all the attention at guard, but don’t sleep on Brock Robey. He paved the way for an offense that averaged 232.2 yards per game and ran for 140+ yards in all but one contest last season. While he isn’t as overwhelming as Webb, Robey is consistent in all phases, and a move to center could unlock a new level.
7) John Paul Flores, G, Liberty Flames
John Paul Flores enters his sixth and final collegiate season on his fourth and final team. He began as a standout tackle at Dartmouth before earning a starting guard role at Virginia in 2022. He parlayed that into a roster spot at Louisville last year, but Flores only saw the field in a backup capacity.
Now, Flores is primed to start for a Liberty Flames team seeking back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. He’s proven he can handle Power Four competition; he’ll unleash that pedigree onto unsuspecting CUSA defenders.
6) Wesley Horton, G, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Last season was Wesley Horton’s first as a starter, but you couldn’t tell by how he played. Although he didn’t make an all-conference team, he was still an integral part of a unit that finished second in the CUSA and tied for ninth nationally at only one sack allowed per game. If his run blocking reaches the same level as his pass blocking, Horton won’t have an issue receiving postseason recognition.
5) Bert Hale, G, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Bert Hale is the epitome of a boulder along the offensive line, standing at a whopping 6’5″ and 348 pounds. As you’d imagine, he rarely concedes pressure on the interior, and he’s also no slouch as a people mover in the ground game. Hale took a big step in his development from 2022 to 2023 — if he takes a similar step forward in 2024, fifth will be Hale’s floor for these rankings.
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4) Canaan Yarro, C, New Mexico State Aggies
Entering his sixth collegiate season and fifth as a starter, Canaan Yarro is one of the most experienced players in the conference. His low center of mass at 6’1″ makes him a thorn in the side of defensive tackles as they struggle to move him off his spot.
Yarro came to prominence at Southern Utah from 2020-21 before bringing his dominance to New Mexico State in 2022. Coming off an All-CUSA Second Team campaign and landing on the Rimington Trophy watch list this offseason, Yarro has finally started to receive the recognition he deserves.
3) Quantavious Leslie, G, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
For the third consecutive season, Quantavious Leslie has landed on the Outland Trophy watch list. In that time frame, he’s allowed fewer sacks than syllables in his first name. But Leslie isn’t just a stalwart in pass protection, as he’s known to serve a few pancakes per game.
2) Jordan White, C, Liberty Flames
At 6’2″ and 300 pounds, Jordan White is nowhere near as all-encompassing as Hale, but he’s the more technically refined player. Following three years as a guard at West Virginia, White transferred to Liberty and won the starting center job.
KEEP READING: 2024 Conference USA Power Rankings
White played 93.7% of the snaps en route to an all-conference second team selection, aiding the offense to top-five rankings nationally in rushing yards per game (No. 1), tackles for loss allowed (No. 1), sacks allowed (No. 2), and total offense (No. 4). On the Outland and Rimington Trophy watch lists, White is recognized as one of the nation’s premier linemen and is poised to lead his team to continued success in the trenches.
1) Clay Webb, G, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Webb entered the collegiate ranks as a five-star recruit at Georgia. But after three seasons, he decided to transfer to Jacksonville State and immediately earned All-CUSA Second Team and Associated Press All-American Second Team honors.
Elite in both run and pass blocking, he is a favorite to win the Outland Trophy this year. Webb was instrumental in the Gamecocks’ first season in the FBS and will help power them toward a CUSA championship bid in 2024.
2024 CUSA IOL Rankings | 11-20
11) Ethan Hagler, C, Sam Houston
12) Jacob Golden, G, New Mexico State
13) Otis Pitts III, G, UTEP
14) Jerren Gilbert, G, Louisiana Tech
15) Julius Pierce, C, Middle Tennessee State
16) Seaburn Hines, G, Kennesaw State
17) Ellis Adams, G, Middle Tennessee State
18) James Dawn II, G, Sam Houston
19) Wyatt Lawson, G, FIU
20) AJ Vaipulu, G, New Mexico State
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