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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
SEC Network analyst thinks Oklahoma has the best defensive line in the SEC
SEC Network analyst thinks Oklahoma has the best defensive line in the SEC The Oklahoma Sooners have undergone a total turnaround at one key position group under head coach Brent Venables. OU's defensive line was undersized and not physical enough for the Big 12, much less the SEC when Venables was hired to replace the departed Lincoln Riley in December of 2021. The former defensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999-2011) and Clemson (2012-2021) had built some of the greatest defenses in college football before getting his first head coaching job. When he left Norman, the Sooners were talented, physical and beefy in the trenches on defense. He built his Clemson defenses in the exact same fashion. The Tigers won national championships in 2016 and 2018 and played in two more title games in 2015 and 2019. There were also two other seasons where Clemson made the College Football Playoff, but got knocked out in the semifinals (2017 and 2020). A lot of the success was largely on the back of Venables' defenses. Meanwhile, the Sooners also had a successful era, but it was primarily due to their offensive firepower. OU made four CFPs in five years but never made it to the championship game because they couldn't stop their opposition from scoring. Under defensive coordinators Mike Stoops and Alex Grinch, Oklahoma got smaller, less physical, and less talented players on the defensive side of the ball. That was evident on the defensive line most of all. When Venables arrived in Norman, he hired Todd Bates to coach the defensive tackles and Miguel Chavis to coach the defensive ends. Over time, and through recruiting and the transfer portal, that trio has built the Oklahoma defensive line into a force again. Cole Cubelic, a college football analyst for the SEC Network, ranked the top five defensive lines in the SEC on his podcast, "Cube Show." He placed the Sooners atop his list, a remarkable transformation for a unit that used to get pushed around by the likes of Kansas State and Iowa State. "The easiest team for this list to select was number one, and it's Oklahoma. And folks, it ain't even close," Cubelic said. "I'm just going to be honest with you. This was not a debate with Texas, this was not a debate with Georgia, this was not a debate with Florida in my head. Oklahoma, by far, has the best defensive line in the SEC, and it is by a landslide. I mean, they literally have a 40-yard head start on everybody else." That's a powerful statement from Cubelic, but Oklahoma has the depth to back it up. At defensive tackle, Bates has a solid four-man group of Jayden Jackson, Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton, and David Stone to work with. It's a talented group that has experience and potential. Each player brings something a little different to the table. At the defensive end spots, the Sooners aren't quite that deep, but Chavis has R Mason Thomas returning after a breakout season a year ago. Opposite him, the tandem of Marvin Jones Jr. and Adepoju Adebawore will be looking for breakout years of their own off the edge. Cubelic also thinks Oklahoma likes what they have in Danny Okoye, who was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Cubelic also believes that with Venables taking control of the defensive play-calling in 2025, the Sooners will assume even more of his attacking, aggressive mentality. The best defenses Venables has had were able to dictate what the opposing offense could and couldn't do, not the other way around. There were plenty of moments a season ago where the Sooners owned the game defensively up front, most notably in the win over Alabama. Cubelic seems to believe the SEC could be in for more performances like that one from Oklahoma, as Year 4 with Venables, Bates, and Chavis could yield even bigger results. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cole Cubelic on Auburn's OL: 'This is the one that looks like it has the most potential'
Cole Cubelic on Auburn's OL: 'This is the one that looks like it has the most potential' Cubelic's assessment of Auburn's offensive line should excite Tiger fans. An offense is usually as good as its offensive line. Auburn, a team that hopes to take a giant step towards a College Football Playoff berth in 2025, will rely heavily on its front five to produce opportunities for the rest of its skill players to thrive. One college football analyst believes that this year's offensive line has the potential to lift Auburn to new heights. SEC Network analyst and former Auburn offensive lineman Cole Cubelic recently ranked the SEC's best offensive line units, placing Auburn's line at No. 3, in front of Alabama and Florida and behind Texas A&M and Georgia. Cubelic admits he is cautious when labeling an Auburn unit as one of the SEC's best, but he has high hopes for this year's line. "It's been a long time since we've had a discussion like this. Point blank, I'll be the first one to admit it: it's obviously not a comfortable conversation because there have been a few of them along the way that we all sort of bought into and thought about and said, 'Maybe, probably, could be…' This is the one that looks like it has the most potential.' Connor Lew headlines the unit's top returners Lew posted the highest pass-block rating last season with a 79.9, according to Pro Football Focus. In 748 snaps at center, Lew allowed nine pressures and just one sack. Cubelic considers Lew one of the best centers in the SEC. 'I think Connor Lew, right there with (Alabama center Parker Brailsford) and a couple others we will talk about (Florida center Jake Slaughter) have a chance to be the best center in the SEC. It's going to be a dog fight to get that No. 1 first-team All-SEC center spot this year. There are four or five that I think have a chance to be really good football players. Lew is great: he's athletic, he can get out in space, he can climb to the second level, and he's got that nasty, the demeanor–plays the game in the way it's supposed to be played.' Who returns to the unit? Izavion Miller, Jeremiah Wright, Dillon Wade, and Connor Lew saw action in 379 or more snaps last season. Wade played the most by seeing action in 751 snaps over four positions, while Lew played the most at one position, playing 748 snaps at center. Auburn will boast one of the SEC's most experienced offensive lines, which should play a role in the success of the entire offense. Newcomers to watch for Auburn added transfer tackles Xavier Chaplin from Virginia Tech and Mason Murphy from USC to fill the gaps at tackle. Chaplin allowed 13 pressures as Virginia Tech's starting left tackle last season, while Murphy allowed three sacks as the Trojans' right tackle. Expect those two players to see significant action on the line this season, while younger players DeAndre Carter and Tyler Johnson will see their roles expand in 2025. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
New York Times
26-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why another Notre Dame College Football Playoff run could be fueled by the O-line
Cole Cubelic paced the field before the Sugar Bowl, getting a better look at Notre Dame's offensive line. The SEC Network analyst and chairman of the Joe Moore Award voting committee wanted to see if the group looked the same in person as it did on tape. And what Cubelic had seen on tape made him think Notre Dame's line could more than hold its own against Georgia. Advertisement Turns out, Notre Dame's offensive line looked better than expected. Maybe not because of the five starters who'd help the Irish win their first major bowl game in 31 years while allowing just one tackle for loss. But because of the guy warming up who got five snaps on special teams as the Irish continued their run to the national title game. It was easy to spot Charles Jagusah with his name on the back of that No. 56 jersey. And warmups suggested the starting left tackle on the opening day of preseason camp wasn't just going through the motions. Cubelic asked a Notre Dame staffer if the sophomore might play and was told it was break-glass-in-case-of-emergency for Georgia. If the Irish went further? 'You're thinking with an extra week, maybe there's a role against Penn State,' Cubelic said. 'And then to come in there and get his first real playing time when the guys on the other side have played 13 or 14 games, he had such a good understanding of where to be and when to get there, even if not everything looked like it did in practice.' Notre Dame OL Charles Jagusah tore his pec before the season…. Pretty damn cool to see big 56 pulling around to help that Leonard TD run get into the end zone! — Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) January 10, 2025 Jagusah subbed in at right guard against Penn State after Rocco Spindler's ankle gave out, with grad student Tosh Baker taking over at left tackle when Anthonie Knapp went down with his own ankle injury. Eleven days later, Jagusah started at left tackle in the national title game against Ohio State, holding up against surefire draft picks Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. The title game marked Notre Dame's fourth different starting offensive line last season, which will change again next fall after the transfer departures of Pat Coogan, Sam Pendleton and Spindler. Still, what offensive line coach Joe Rudolph produced was good enough for Notre Dame to make the semifinalist cut for the Joe Moore Award. What the Irish bring back might be good enough to win it — and spark another College Football Playoff run as the Irish break in a new quarterback. Advertisement 'Injury and lack of a mobile quarterback might be the only thing that could hold them back. I think they're gonna ball,' said Mike Golic Jr., a former Notre Dame offensive lineman and current football analyst. 'The quality of the guys coming back and having the same voice and same backs, it's just about getting bigger and adjusting to not having that nuclear option with Riley Leonard in the run game.' GO DEEPER Marcus Freeman's first true QB battle is here. What will Notre Dame's offense look like? This is all a major change from last offseason when Notre Dame kicked off at Texas A&M with six combined starts along the offensive line by choice after Billy Schrauth and Pendleton beat out Coogan and Spindler at guard. Knapp won the left tackle job over Baker after Jagusah's pectoral injury. Ashton Craig held down the center position until a torn ACL at Purdue. Aamil Wagner opened camp as the No. 1 right tackle and never looked back. Whatever combination of linemen Notre Dame starts this season — the Irish will get a first look on March 18 when spring practice opens — it will be more experienced than last year. And there's no doubt it will be more talented if fully healthy. It's just a matter of who works where and how much. 'I'd put Charles at tackle. He's such an insane athlete,' Golic said. 'I'd be cool to see Anthonie at center. Ashton is a really good player, but Anthonie's body screams center to me. The athletic gifts that Charles has are best served on the perimeter. You could put him at guard and he'd be great. I don't even know want to say it. You know what I'm talking about …' Asked if Golic was about to reference Jagusah being the next Quenton Nelson, the former Irish guard didn't want to say it out loud. But that's the kind of athletic potential he sees in the sophomore who's started two games and opened last camp as the most gifted lineman on the team in the eyes of the coaching staff. Advertisement Both Golic and Cubelic praised Rudolph for getting so much out of Notre Dame's offensive line under less-than-ideal circumstances. Maybe the Irish line wasn't great last season, its rushing totals buoyed by Leonard's legs plus the big plays from Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Notre Dame finished fifth nationally in yards per carry (5.66) despite getting bottled up during the College Football Playoff outside of Love's 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana. The Irish were middle-of-the-road in sacks allowed, No. 46 at 1.56 per game. But Cubelic, more versed in SEC offensive line play than Notre Dame's, compared how the Irish managed injuries to the top lines from his home conference. He played center at Auburn. 'Georgia lost a guard. That group was done. Alabama lost a right guard early in the season, totally different offensive line,' Cubelic said. 'Can you survive when you lose somebody? Hell with thrive — can you just not be annihilated? Notre Dame essentially thrived. It took a while. But they thrived in the end.' That's part of the reason why Notre Dame may have its best chance to win the Joe Moore Award since the 2017 line that featured Nelson and Mike McGlinchey. The Irish return Rudolph for a third season compared to Harry Hiestand back for his sixth that year. Not only does Notre Dame seem to have a good culture in the line room like back then, but it may have a few future pros, too, from Schrauth next spring (or in two springs) to Jagusah, Wagner and Craig. That doesn't get to freshman Guerby Lambert, who could push his way into the lineup somewhere. 'You could probably put the guys from this room back into our room and the culture fit would have been seamless. They have really identified that position well,' Golic said. 'You're gonna have a hard time figuring out the five best of the field next year. And that's awesome for Joe Rudolph to figure out.' Golic and Cubelic will be watching as Notre Dame looks like a Joe Moore Award contender. Other members of the voting committee include former Irish All-American Aaron Taylor and Hiestand. Who knows: Cubelic may be scouting the Irish before a College Football Playoff game again next winter. 'They have to stay healthy because that's when the continuity skyrockets. You're not just coaching double-teams and pass sets, you can start to talk about how the safety is tilting and why the corner is lined up a certain way. It's the next level,' Cubelic said. 'And that's when we might be talking about where this line ranks in Notre Dame history instead of just being really good.' GO DEEPER Can Notre Dame keep winning big? 'This has to be the new normal'
