Utah's Spencer Fano touted as top right tackle in the country

As he refrained from making any bold declarations to the mass gathering of reporters surrounding him at his press conference table, Whittingham delivered a humble yet uplifting response that allowed for national audiences to weigh in on the debate.

Of course, a few offensive lines from the SEC and Big Ten could make strong cases for being No. 1 in the nation, making it even more difficult to award the de facto title to any one team until there's fresh game film to watch. Though roughly two weeks ahead of Utah's season opener against UCLA, it appears numerous outlets, personalities and analysts who cover the sport intensively have reached some sort of verdict.

While the healthy dispute over the top offensive lines will rage on, it doesn't seem there's any doubt over who the best right tackle in the sport is heading into the regular season. Deemed as such by ESPN, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports, The Athletic and the Walter Camp, Spencer Fano enters his junior season as a near-consensus first team All-American and arguably the No. 1 tackle prospect eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Athletic tabs Fano with All-America honors

Fano earned a spot on The Athletic's first-team All-America roster that was released Wednesday, roughly two days after ESPN placed him on its first team ballot.

"Considered a top-10 NFL Draft prospect, Fano started 12 games at right tackle last season after starting at left tackle as a true freshman," wrote The Athletic's college football staff. "The 6-5, 300-pound junior and former top-100 recruit from Spanish Fork, Utah, earned second-team All-America honors last season from the Associated Press."

Fano also posted the best run-blocking grade (91.8) and overall grade (93.0) among Football Bowl Subdivision tackles last season according to PFF, grading out as the second-most-valuable Power Four tackle in the country behind top-10 pick Kelvin Banks Jr.

CBS Sports names Fano a preseason All-American honoree

Similar to The Athletic, CBS Sports' All-American teams were unveiled Wednesday as well, with Fano checking in as the first-team right tackle selection, ahead of Alabama's Kadyn Proctor on the second team.

"Fano plows the road for what I think will be one of the country's best rushing attack," wrote CBS Sports' Richard Johnson. "Don't let the fact that he isn't a blind side tackle fool you — Fano is a great player with all the tools it takes to play on Sundays. What's more, he embodies the no-nonsense attitude that coach Kyle Whittingham has imbued into this program. At the end of the day, he'll out-tough you on Saturdays and let the pads do the talking."

In addition to earning preseason recognition from the media, Fano has been named to multiple watch lists for prestigious national awards, including the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy.

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