Zaire Collier leads HERO Sports’ top returning FCS offensive linemen list

1. Zaire Collier, UC Davis

Collier gives UC Davis the kind of interior stability that can shape a playoff path before September even starts. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound senior from Antelope started 13 games at center in 2025, earned second-team All-Big Sky honors, and helped block for an offense that finished 27th nationally in rushing and 12th in passing.

2. Sean Wilson, Lafayette

Lafayette lands in the premium part of the list because HERO Sports is weighing more than raw reputation, it is rewarding proven production, postseason honors and fit. Wilson represents the kind of veteran line presence that can keep a program on schedule in the Patriot League race.

3. Jack Ziebell, Northern Colorado

Ziebell has real national credibility, not just preseason buzz, because HERO Sports' 2025 PFF update had him as the highest-graded FCS center at 81.5. If Northern Colorado wants to turn close games into wins, that kind of interior control is the starting point.

4. Sirri Kandiyeli, Southern Utah

Southern Utah gets a strong trench marker here with Kandiyeli, another reminder that the list is spread across more than the usual title contenders. That matters because offensive line value is what lets a team survive bad weather, long trips and a loaded schedule.

5. Timothy Hogan, Elon

Hogan keeps Elon in the conversation as one of the teams that can win through line play rather than pure explosiveness. In a preseason ranking built on production, honors and fit, that kind of steady front-line value is exactly what coaches trust.

6. Rahfeeq Katumbusi, Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois gets a name that signals front-seven opponents will have to earn every yard. Katumbusi’s place in the top tier reflects the same kind of line durability that can turn an otherwise crowded conference race into a bracket push.

7. Tyler Murray, Mercer

Mercer has often won with tempo and efficiency, and Murray gives that identity another body up front that can hold up under pressure. HERO Sports’ framework gives credit to players who fit their system and handle quality opposition, which is why Murray lands this high.

8. Justin Selbert, Princeton

Princeton’s offensive identity leans on smart, disciplined line play, and Selbert fits that mold. Ivy League trench stability has become a bigger national talking point, and players like him keep that league visible in the broader FCS title discussion.

9. Aidan Moe, Tarleton State

Tarleton State keeps climbing the FCS conversation, and Moe is part of why the Texans can keep matching physical teams snap for snap. A line piece this high in the ranking suggests Tarleton’s offense has real seeding swing potential.

10. Colby Reph, Lehigh

Reph has the kind of data point that jumps off the page, because HERO Sports’ 2025 PFF update had him second among FCS centers at 80.2. That kind of grading is exactly why Lehigh can believe its front still has the base to control games late in the year.

11. Nicholas Nielsen, Youngstown State

Youngstown State keeps adding offensive line credibility to a roster built around Beau Brungard’s breakout run, and Nielsen is part of that support structure. The Penguins showed in 2025 that they can play with pace and bite, and this ranking says the line is still central to that formula.

12. Quaveon Davis, Jackson State

Jackson State’s placement here matters beyond one program because it keeps SWAC trench talent in the national FCS conversation. That is the same kind of exposure expansion that makes preseason lists worth reading for more than just rankings.

13. Burke Mastel, Montana State

Montana State’s national championship profile starts with the front, and Mastel gives the Bobcats another reason to think the standard can hold. In a year when title windows are shifting fast, having proven line pieces is what keeps a contender from slipping.

14. Luke Roaten, Abilene Christian

Roaten keeps Abilene Christian in the mix as a team that can make noise by surviving up front against deeper rosters. HERO Sports’ system-fit lens matters here, because ACU’s offense needs linemen who can handle multiple styles of opposition.

15. Evans Bowling, San Diego

Bowling has the production profile to back the ranking, with HERO Sports’ 2025 PFF update putting him among the top FCS tackles at 76.3. San Diego getting that kind of tackle value is a big deal for a program that often needs precision more than chaos to win.

16. Charles Mackley, Butler

Mackley adds one of the better guard markers in the subdivision, and HERO Sports’ PFF work had him first among FCS guards at 79.2 in a 2025 update. That is the kind of interior force that can keep Butler credible in tight games.

North Carolina Central keeps getting recognized because the Hornets' front has become part of the program's larger visibility story. A line presence this high in the list says NCCU can keep building around physical football while the national spotlight on HBCU programs keeps growing.

18. Elijah Baker, Alabama State

Alabama State staying in the mix here underscores how important line continuity is in the SWAC chase. Baker’s place on the list is another sign that HBCU programs are turning trench development into a more visible competitive edge.

19. Trace Thaden, North Dakota

North Dakota has built its identity on toughness and the ability to stay balanced when games tighten, and Thaden is part of that formula. In a conference where the margins can disappear fast, a reliable lineman is often the difference between a playoff seed and a tough road.

20. Barrett Eddlemon, Princeton

Princeton continues to earn national respect because the Ivy League’s line play is no longer easy to ignore, and Eddlemon is a reason why. The Tigers need that kind of veteran presence to keep their offense on schedule against playoff-caliber fronts.

21. Maicah Talavou, San Diego

San Diego places another lineman in the upper half, which tells you the Toreros’ front has genuine continuity. Talavou’s ranking gives San Diego a chance to keep winning with structure, not just skill-position flair.

22. Liam Becher, North Dakota

Becher adds more evidence that North Dakota’s offensive identity still starts with the line of scrimmage. The Hawks do not get this kind of attention by accident, they get it by keeping the front stable enough to protect the rest of the offense.

23. Spencer Doan, Harvard

Harvard’s presence here shows the Ivy League is still part of the national trench conversation, especially as the conference keeps growing its postseason profile. Doan gives the Crimson another reason to believe they can stay physical with better-resourced playoff opponents.

24. Tre Alexander, Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s offense has been built around line confidence, and Alexander keeps that engine running. The Rams have long treated offensive line depth as a competitive asset, and this ranking reflects that approach.

25. Cam Nolan, Holy Cross

Holy Cross gets a veteran presence that helps explain why the Patriot League remains stubbornly difficult to navigate. Nolan’s ranking is another sign that postseason-caliber football often begins with the front five, not the skill rooms.

26. Thomas O'Brien, Harvard

Harvard’s second entry in this range underlines how quickly a strong line room can lift a program’s ceiling. O'Brien helps give the Crimson the kind of protection and run-game base that keeps them in high-leverage games.

27. Braden Zimmer, Montana State

Zimmer keeps the defending national champion in the trench conversation even as the Bobcats adjust to the attention that comes with a title. Programs that win in December usually return linemen like this, players who make the offense feel older and calmer than it looks on paper.

28. Aidan Palmer, Lehigh

Lehigh’s second line entry shows how much of a foundation the Mountain Hawks have up front. Palmer helps make the case that Lehigh can keep winning ugly, which is often how bracket position is protected in the FCS.

29. Landon Woodard, Illinois State

Illinois State’s rise has been built on physicality, and Woodard is another reason the Redbirds can keep forcing that style on opponents. A line anchor this high in the ranking feeds directly into seeding, confidence and upset resistance.

30. Joshua Sales Jr., Austin Peay

Sales already has a strong PFF note behind him, with HERO Sports’ 2025 update ranking him among the top FCS tackles at 75.9. Austin Peay getting that sort of tackle play is the kind of detail that can turn a fringe playoff team into a dangerous one.

31. Stryker Rashid, Idaho State

Rashid is one of the clearest proof points on the list, because Idaho State said its offensive line allowed just 3 sacks all season, the fewest in the Big Sky and the top mark in the nation. The Bengals finished 6-6, went 5-3 in the Big Sky, and closed with four straight wins, which is the exact kind of late-season momentum that line play can fuel.

Gray is a headline center for a reason, allowing no sacks, no hits and only three hurries while earning Southland Offensive Lineman of the Year honors. The Southland said he anchored a unit that finished top 30 nationally in sacks allowed, and Stephen F. Austin returned four starting offensive linemen from a team that averaged 35.6 points per game.

33. Eli Simonson, UC Davis

Simonson is part of the reason UC Davis can plausibly talk about winning the front before it talks about winning the spread game. The Aggies returned Simonson, Ernesto Nava, Zaire Collier, Jace Rodriguez and David Main on their 2026 roster, after already noting that they had returned all five starting offensive linemen from the 2024 team at one point, a rare level of continuity nationally.

34. Ernesto Nava, UC Davis

Nava gives UC Davis another veteran tackle who fits the same continuity story as Collier and Simonson. When a program can pair multiple returning starters with a proven center, the ceiling rises not just for the run game but for quarterback development and upset potential.

35. Titan Fleischmann, Montana State

Fleischmann is the top-end reminder that title paths are still forged by elite line play, not only skill talent. He is back-to-back All-Big Sky and FCS All-American performer at two positions, and Montana State’s 2026 national-champion follow-up will go as far as its front allows.