Sep 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) and offensive lineman Greg Johnson (65) celebrate their teams win against the Nevada Wolf Pack after the game at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Big Ten tiers: Where does Minnesota's O-Line rank heading into 2025?

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 10:55 AM ET

The Big Ten is a conference known for producing some of the best offensive linemen in football. That looks to be the case once again heading into 2025, so let's look at where Minnesota stacks up in the tiers of best offensive line groups for this season.

Tier 1: Elite

1. Iowa
2. Penn State
3. Oregon

Each of these three teams has multiple future pros and potential All-Americans up front. Iowa is led by Logan Jones and Gennings Dunkers, who are arguably the best two returning offensive linemen in the conference. All three teams have the potential to take over games in the trenches.

Tier 2: Great

4. Wisconsin
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan

Wisconsin is known as an offensive line factory, and this might be Luke Fickell's best group since taking over. Ohio State had to replace a lot of up front, but they went out and added intriguing talent from the transfer portal. Lastly, Michigan has the talent, but there are still some questions about consistency heading into the season. All three teams are clearly a step below the top tier.

Related: Big Ten tiers: Is Gophers' TE Jameson Geers being overlooked?

Tier 3: Solid

7. Nebraska
8. Illinois
9. USC
10. Rutgers
11. Northwestern

This tier includes teams that likely have one future NFL player up front, but they also have their fair share of questions at other spots. None of these groups will lose you a game, and they all have a pretty high floor, but not as high of a ceiling as the teams in front of them.

Tier 4: Wildcards

12. Indiana
13. Minnesota
14. Michigan State
15. Washington

This tier is four teams that hit the transfer portal hard up front. There have been instances where teams are able to mesh quickly with portal linemen, but also plenty of times where it never seems to all click. These groups could easily climb up this list by the end of the year, but they're far too unproven to put them any higher preseason.

Tier 5: Question marks

16. UCLA
17. Maryland
18. Purdue

It's relatively difficult for an unheralded offensive line to come out of nowhere and perform like one of the best groups in the conference. These three teams have far too many questions about experience and production to rank them any higher.