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Top 15 Best Offensive Line Coaches in College Football | 2023 Ranking

  • August 26, 2022

It is essential to know about the best offensive line coaches in college football in precise detail. 

As you know, the head coach is responsible for everything in the field and the recruiting process.

This is true even though the players are ultimately the ones who decide the outcome of games.

It’s not always a good thing, and the coaching carousel serves as a yearly reminder of that disheartening reality for the team. 

However, the top coaches have discovered a way to constant success, and they will start the 2023 college football season as some of the most renowned sports figures.

And on this beautiful day in the offseason, let’s put them in order.

The order is entirely subjective. However, it does take current performances, career successes, and successful recruiting into consideration as variables.

Additionally, it considers the history of the program. Historically speaking, achieving victory at Kentucky or Vanderbilt, for example, is a challenging task.

Now let’s look at the best offensive line coaches in college football. 

Best Offensive Line Coaches in College Football

Table of contents

What Is College Football? 

Students from colleges or American universities play American football. Students form teams from several colleges to compete against one another. 

The coaches’ responsibility is to enlist the best high school athletes for their teams. 

Parents, alums, faculty, students, college football enthusiasts, and two teams, each having 11 players, compete for the top four slots in the game.

What Are The Roles Of Offensive Line Coaches? 

The offensive line coach, sometimes known as the offensive coordinator, calls plays, develops strategy, and oversees all things awful. He establishes the system before the game and will modify the process as the game progresses.

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What Are The Best Offensive Line Coaches In College Football? 

Do you want to know more about college football’s best offensive line coaches? Now here are the best offensive line coaches in college football:

#1. Lane Kiffin (Alabama) and Garrick McGee (Louisville)

Kiffin and Garrick are on our first list of top offensive line coaches in college football. 

After a largely fruitless tenure as head coaches, Lane Kiffin and Garrick McGee have been promoted to the team’s coordinator position. 

Kiffin has left a trail of sewage behind him after departing the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee, and USC. At the same time, McGee could never acquire adequate traction at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

However, in a previous life, each of them served as an effective offensive coordinator, which is why their names appear together on this list.

Kiffin coached two of the most successful teams at USC; Pete Carroll was the head coach, McGee was a Broyles Award finalist at Arkansas, and Bobby Petrino was the head coach in 2011.

Kiffin works under Nick Saban at Alabama, while McGee is back with Petrino at Louisville. 

Both coaches can be successful again because there is enough quality on the roster and the right mentor is in place.

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#2. Tim Beck of Nebraska 

Last year, Nebraska’s offense took a significant step backward, dropping from the eighth to the 61st spot in Football Outsiders’ offensive F/+ rankings.

Tim Beck’s fall to the bottom of this list reflects that he does not drop off the list altogether because a significant portion of the previous season was beyond his control.

Taylor Martinez’s hand was forced after he suffered injuries during the game, and neither Ron Kellogg nor Tommy Armstrong was ready to take over as the team’s quarterback. 

When Beck recognized this, he did the only thing he could: force-feed the ball to Ameer Abdullah, the leading returning rusher in the country at the time.

Beck should be able to get this offense to look a lot more as it did in 2012 than during the previous season if Armstrong can play more consistently. 

Bleacher Report’s Erin Sorensen gushed about Armstrong’s performance during spring practice. 

He is one of the top offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#3. Mike Norvell of Arizona State 

If Mike Norvell and Arizona State have another season like the one they had in 2013, it is unlikely that he will continue to serve as a coordinator for much longer. 

Mike Norvell is one of the hottest young coaching names in college football and is among the most likely candidates to soon become a head coach.

The fact that he has operated under various aliases contributes significantly to this impression.

Norvell’s time as the passing game coordinator at Tulsa included collaborations with Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Norvell’s longtime mentor Todd Graham. 

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Norvell also worked with Graham during his time at Tulsa.

It has been quite impossible to ignore this instruction’s outcomes.

According to the offensive F/+ ratings compiled by Football Outsiders, Arizona State University’s offense was ranked eleventh best in the nation in ineffectiveness at the end of the 2013 season.

With both Taylor Kelly and Jaelen Strong set to return, it will likely be as effective in 2014.

He is also one of the top offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#4. Kurt Roper, Florida 

In 2013, Kurt Roper was a finalist for the Broyles Award after leading Duke to the ACC Championship Game. 

As a result of that season, he got the position of offensive coordinator at Florida, which is widely famous as one of the top jobs in the nation.

According to Football Outsiders’ offensive F/+ ratings, Duke finished the previous season ranked No. 33 in offensive efficiency, while Florida was ranked No. 99. 

This was even though Duke had a clear talent disadvantage. 

Roper has the opportunity to lead a significant turnaround in Gainesville, and he has some former blue-chippers available to help him do it, including quarterback Jeff Driskel and running back Kelvin Taylor.

Roper should be able to achieve that if he successfully gets the offensive line to play at a significantly higher level than they did in the previous season.

In April, Bruce Feldman of FoxSports.com quoted him, who was writing for CBS Sports, saying, “We’ve got some guys up front that are quite good.” 

“We just need to make sure everyone stays healthy since we don’t have a huge roster, but the five guys who start are all fairly good players.”

He is one of the top offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#5. Doug Nussmeier, Michigan

The reputation that “anyone could win at Alabama” attached to Doug Nussmeier’s career is slightly unjust and justified. 

The amount of skill he had access to while coaching under Nick Saban was staggering.

Regarding drop-offs, Michigan is about as ideal a location as one could hope for Nussmeier to land. 

It is not as if he will be teaching players with talent on par with the Mid-American Conference; instead, he will be coaching, once again, some of the most significant prospects in the country. 

The only difference is that he won’t be coaching only the most talented players in the country, as he had been doing for the previous two seasons.

Nussmeier can break into the top five by the next season if he successfully revitalizes Michigan’s dormant offense, particularly on the ground.

He ranks among the top offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#6. Jake Spavital, Texas

It is absurd that Jake Spavital has taken over play-calling duties at Texas A&M before he becomes 30 years old, especially when one considers how far the Aggies have progressed as a team throughout the past two seasons. 

And a significant portion of Johnny Manziel’s development as a quarterback during the 2013 season should be credited to Spavital’s guidance and instruction, as this should be the case.

Since 2009, all of the quarterbacks that Spavital has worked with, including Case Keenum, Brandon Weeden, and Johnny Manziel, have either started at least one game in the National Football League or been selected in the first round of the draft. 

During 2014, Manziel ought to render that qualifier redundant at some point.

He’s among the top offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#7. Josh Heupel, Oklahoma 

2013 was not Josh Heupel’s most successful year by any means.

At the very end of the season, Oklahoma successfully replaced Landry Jones at quarterback, and the results were, at times, embarrassingly wrong.

However, when a club replaces a four-year starter at the center, it is normal for them to go through a period of adjustment like this.

Despite all the beautiful things I’ve heard about Hutson Mason, this is one of the reasons why I will not be betting on Georgia in 2014.

When you consider everything, Heupel did a pretty decent job.

On top of that, a year is a relatively short time. Even if he hadn’t played last year, Heupel’s resume would be excellent enough to get him into the top 10. 

The Sooners’ offense is consistently among the top 20 in the country, and Trevor Knight’s performance in the Sugar Bowl gives fans reason to be optimistic about the team’s future (to say the least). 

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There are only so many coordinators that can beat Alabama by 45 points. He also ranks among the best offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#8. Scott Frost, Oregon 

The Oregon offense struggled during the end of the 2012 campaign. Still, for a significant amount of the 2013 campaign, the Ducks performed admirably despite the departure of the previous head coach and offensive guru, Chip Kelly, to the National Football League.

The offensive coordinator, Scott Frost, was promoted from receivers coach to his current position after his predecessor, Mark Helfrich, was chosen to succeed Chip Kelly as head coach of the team. 

Frost deserves a good portion of the credit for the team’s success. 

Marcus Mariota, the quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, played through a knee injury during the second half of the 2013 season, but he should be healthy to start the 2014 campaign.

If you believe the argument that his health was the cause for Oregon’s poor finish (which, by the record, I do), then it is difficult not to consider the Ducks to be the favorites to win the Pac-12 championship.

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#9. Seth Lottrell

The offensive prowess of Indiana is mainly attributable to Seth Littrell.

In all honesty, that is where the debate ought to end.

And if you believe that “powerhouse” is too strong of a phrase, which is entirely understandable, take a closer look at the numbers. 

Before Littrell joined Kevin Wilson in Bloomington, he did a tremendous job with the offense at Arizona while Mike Stoops was the head coach there.

As a result of his achievements at Indiana University, he got the position of offensive coordinator at North Carolina. 

He ranks among the best offensive line coaches in college football. 

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#10. Can Cameroun, LSU

Cam Cameron may be the most well-known name on this list.

Even though his last professional job didn’t go so well—his firing from the Baltimore Ravens helped spur their Super Bowl to run in 2012-13—he is a respected mind specializing in vertical passing. 

He is a former head coach and offensive coordinator in the National Football League.

It may come as a surprise to see him ranked so “low,” given that his first season at LSU could not have gone much better than it did.

This might look ridiculous if the Tigers had another successful season in 2014.

However, considering the abundance of quality Cameron had at his disposal during the previous season, it is challenging to rate him any higher.

Jeremy Hill came within one pick of being the first running back off the board in the 2014 NFL draft.

Fair or not, I need to see Cameron replicate his last year’s success with fewer players ready for the NFL. 

Other coordinators on this list have demonstrated that they can carry out their responsibilities throughout the past few years.

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#11. Mike Bobo, Georgia 

Mike Bobo is frequently held responsible as a scapegoat for Georgia’s inability to “get over the hump” in the SEC, even though the reasons are difficult to comprehend.

So, why? I take it that he is in charge of running the attack.

The same offense that finished No. 4 in 2012 and No. 8 in 2013 according to the offensive F/+ ratings compiled by Football Outsiders? 

The same offense that accomplished the latter despite suffering many casualties? Right.

In 2012, Bobo was one of the finalists for the Broyles Award, and he followed that performance up with another successful season in 2013. 

The fact that he has been with the team for a long time and gets along well with head coach Mark Richt should make Bulldogs fans feel confident about their offense as they move into the upcoming campaign. 

He is also one of the top offensive line coaches in college football.

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#12. Tom Herman, Ohio 

Tom Herman is the epitome of a meritocrat, having worked his way up from Division III to Ohio State as an assistant coach by implementing his offense and being a success everywhere he went.

Herman helped build Iowa State as a Big 12 perennial giant-killer before joining Urban Meyer in Columbus in 2012. 

A double-overtime loss knocked down Oklahoma State’s No. 2 ranking to Texas Tech, which the Cyclones won 28-41 in 2010 and 41-37 in 2011.

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Herman’s appointment as the new head coach of Ohio State was a no-brainer.

Since joining the team, he’s performed admirably in this role. According to Football Outsiders’ offensive F/+ ratings, Ohio State’s offense ranked second in the nation last year. 

All other teams scored higher than Texas A&M in 2014, and only some might do so in the future.

The Herman-Meyer partnership is a formidable one. This coach makes this list of college football’s top offensive line coaches. 

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#13. Rhett Lashlee, Auburn

Rhett Lashlee has spent most of the last 13 years working under Gus Malzahn, who is a decent person to have as a mentor.

During his high school years, he was Malzahn’s quarterback at Shiloh Christian, and later on, he worked with Malzahn as a graduate assistant during Gene Chizik’s first stint as head coach at Auburn. 

Malzahn was his high school quarterback. When Malzahn moved to Arkansas State, Lashlee followed, and when the head coach returned to the Plains a year later, Lashlee moved with him again.

During that time, Lashlee has learned Malzahn’s complicated offensive system, which may make him a desirable candidate for future coaching openings.

Rhett Also ranks among the best offensive line coaches in college football.

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#14. Chad Morris, Clemson 

Chad Morris, who earns the most money from any assistant coach in college football, is one of the primary reasons Clemson is consistently one of the two most important teams in the ACC.

Even though his offense did not perform as well as some had anticipated in 2013, it still managed to finish in the top 20 of Football Outsiders’ offensive F/+ ratings, coming in at No. 19. 

After his first two years with the Tigers, the club ended in 21st and 7th, respectively, in the rankings. All in all that works out to an average of 12.3 points.

That is something that only some teams can compete with.

Now that Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, Brandon Thomas, Roderick McDowell, and Martavis Bryant are all playing in the NFL, it will be more critical than ever for Morris to prove that he was worthy of his salary in 2014.

But Morris’ history only includes something that would lead one to believe he won’t be up to the challenge.

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#15. Phillip Montgomery, Baylor 

Philip Montgomery is on our last list of college football’s best offensive line coaches.

For the previous three college football seasons, Baylor’s offense has been either the best in the nation or, at the absolute least, has been in a statistical dead heat with Oregon’s. 

In either scenario, Philip Montgomery is the person who winds up at the top of this list.

Most people are unaware that Head Coach Art Briles does not decide which plays to run, although he receives most of the credit for Baylor’s turnaround, which he deserves. 

Montgomery is the one who is responsible for dialing up the play every time Baylor discovers a wide hole in the opposition’s defense and converts it into an easy score of seventy yards.

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Conclusion 

All over the world, many offensive line coaches in college football perform excellently. 

We had to choose the best of them for you. This article has provided the best offensive line coaches in college football that are exceptional in all ramifications. We hope this article was helpful! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How can I know the best offensive line coaches in college football? 

To know the best offensive line coaches in college football, you have to check their track records and their significant achievements. 

What makes a good offensive line coach?

A good offensive line coach must possess excellent communication skills to effectively teach and coach his players. He should have a thorough understanding of offensive line techniques and schemes, as well as the ability to make adjustments during games. A good coach should also be able to develop and maintain positive relationships with his players, earning their trust and respect.

How do offensive line coaches develop their players?

Offensive line coaches develop their players through a combination of on-field coaching, film study, and strength and conditioning programs. They teach their players proper techniques for blocking and pass protection, and work with them to develop their footwork, hand placement, and overall physical strength. Coaches also analyze game film with their players to identify areas for improvement, and create individualized training programs to help each player reach his full potential.

What role does an offensive line coach play in game planning?

Offensive line coaches play a crucial role in game planning by working closely with the offensive coordinator to develop strategies for running the ball and protecting the quarterback. They help identify weaknesses in the opposing team’s defensive line, and design blocking schemes that will exploit those weaknesses.

How important is the offensive line to a team’s success?

The offensive line is essential to a team’s success, as it is responsible for protecting the quarterback, opening up holes for the running back, and creating a stable and consistent presence on the field. A strong offensive line can help a team control the pace of the game, dominate time of possession, and wear down the opposing defense.

References 

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