Commit Fit: How the top 2025 OL fit with their future programs
National Signing Day is often about getting the biggest names in a recruiting class but it’s also about getting the right players that fit your system. Here are five offensive linemen that are in a great spot in this Commit Fit look.
THIS SERIES: How the top 2025 QBs fit with their future programs | RBs | WRs | TEs
DAVID SANDERS JR. – Tennessee
Of the 29 players Tennessee has in the NFL, the only offensive tackle is Darnell Wright and Sanders is a lot different than the 6-foot-6, 333-pound former five-star. Yes, both are five-stars but Sanders is leaner and way more athletic. He actually comps more to someone from Ohio State, which was trying to flip him until the final moments of his recruitment.
Sanders looks and plays a lot like Paris Johnson, the sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft, and it was something the Buckeyes were selling on him throughout his recruitment.
Still, the Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day star stuck with the Vols and he will be bring a level of athleticism and physical play to Knoxville that is rare. He has the SEC frame and mindset to contribute early on.
MICHAEL FASUSI – Oklahoma
Oklahoma has been pumping out offensive tackles to the NFL like nobody’s business and Fasusi could easily be next since he has an elite frame and athleticism, and he plays with a toughness that we love to see at the position.
And he’s such an excellent fit for the Sooners because he really wanted to play for position coach Bill Bedenbaugh. Oklahoma, even through a tough season, held off Texas and Texas A&M down the stretch for the five-star offensive tackle from Lewisville, Texas.
The best offensive tackles are ones who are supremely athletic but also play with a chip on their shoulder and that’s definitely Fasusi.
MICHAEL CARROLL – Alabama
Earlier in his career, Carroll was a massive offensive tackle but was still a little hesitant to mix it up and lacked that confidence and edge of elite offensive tackles.
But over the last two years and especially this season at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, Carroll has become a dominant force along the offensive line whether inside or outside.
He devastates defensive linemen physically and he’s emerged as one of the best players at his position nationally.
Carroll is like a slightly smaller but more athletic Kadyn Proctor and that’s a mold that Alabama’s offensive line can use. The Crimson Tide are still going to run the ball and they’re going to attack through the pass game. Someone with Carroll’s mixture of abilities plus his willingness to get down in the trenches makes him a great fit in Tuscaloosa.
WILL BLACK – Notre Dame
Joe Alt. Mike McGlinchey. Liam Eichenberg. Notre Dame is known as an offensive line factory of massive individuals who exert their will on their opponents and open up running lanes. These guys are loved by the NFL and Notre Dame linemen hear their names called during the NFL Draft often.
And Black could be next in line. The five-star offensive tackle is not going up against elite, speedy edge rushers every day at Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall so there could be a little adjustment period. But he has all the characteristics of the next great Notre Dame offensive tackle.
In a class loaded with top-end talent along the offensive line, Black is the best of the bunch.
DOUGLAS UTU – Oregon
It is surprising that of the 29 former Oregon players in the NFL, the only offensive tackle is Penei Sewell. While Utu is a different player than Sewell, he could be the next big-time offensive tackle to come out of Eugene.
The interesting thing is that the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman five-star standout has been told by Oregon that he could play tackle for the Ducks but he is also versatile enough to move inside and be a star offensive guard as well.
There has been no offensive lineman we’ve seen during this recruiting cycle that has lost fewer reps. Utu almost never loses a rep wherever he’s playing along the offensive line and whether he stays at tackle or moves inside, that versatility is phenomenal and should get him on the field early.
