Ranking College Football’s Best Returning Offensive Guards for 2026 Season

The guard position rarely generates headlines, but the 2026 returning class makes a case for attention. Evan Tengesdahl anchored a Cincinnati line that finished second nationally in sacks allowed and earned All-America honors doing it. Addison Nichols posted the highest PFF pass-blocking grade since 2024 of anyone on this list. Noah Josey enters the season leading all FBS players in career snaps.

Several of these players had legitimate paths to the NFL and chose to come back. Others transferred into bigger programs to prove themselves on a larger stage. A few are changing positions this spring, adding another layer to what their 2026 seasons will look like.

The interior of the offensive line is where games are decided in the fourth quarter. This group has the résumés to back that up.

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Honorable Mentions

Dave Iuli, Oregon Ducks

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'3", 332 lbs.

Iuli started all 14 games at right guard for Oregon in 2025, posting a 78.7 PFF pass-blocking grade that ranked third among Oregon offensive linemen nationally, and allowed just 11 pressures across 430 pass-blocking opportunities. He was part of a line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist for the third straight season and ranked top 25 nationally in scoring offense and sacks allowed.

He enters his final season as one of Oregon's few returning starters on a line that must replace Emmanuel Pregnon, Isaiah World, and Alex Harkey, making his experience and continuity critical to the Ducks' offensive identity.

Taran Tyo, Cincinnati Bearcats

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'3", 325 lbs.

Tyo started all 13 games at right guard in 2025 alongside Tengesdahl, earning PFF's National Team of the Week recognition after Cincinnati's blowout of Oklahoma State with a 78.3 grade that ranked second among all guards that week. He finished seventh among Big 12 guards per PFF on a line that allowed only eight sacks, second fewest nationally, and was a Joe Moore Award semifinalist.

A Third-Team All-MAC selection at Ball State in 2024, Tyo transferred to Cincinnati and immediately became a starting piece of one of the country's best offensive lines. He and Tengesdahl will anchor the interior again in 2026 as UC looks to build on one of its strongest seasons in program history.

Joe Brunner, Indiana Hoosiers

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'7", 313 lbs.

Brunner started all 12 games at left guard for Wisconsin in 2025, posting PFF pass-blocking grades above 80 in four consecutive games and not allowing a sack across 316 pass-blocking opportunities. He was part of a Badgers line that allowed just 13.0 sacks, the fewest in the Big Ten. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he transferred to Indiana this offseason to reunite with OL coach Bob Bostad, who recruited him to Wisconsin.

At 6'7", he is one of the longer interior linemen in the country and steps into a national championship program that must replace several starters along the offensive line.

Ranking the Top 10 Returning Offensive Guards for the 2026 Season

10. Noah Josey, Virginia Cavaliers

Graduate Senior in 2026; 6'5", 310 lbs.

Virginia offensive lineman Noah Josey answers questions from the media during ACC Media Days. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Josey started all 12 games at left guard in 2025, posted a 78.4 PFF pass-blocking grade that led the Virginia roster, and did not allow a sack or more than one quarterback hit all season across 983 snaps. He earned Phil Steele Third Team All-ACC honors and posted a 98.1 pass-block efficiency rating, with his best performance coming against NC State at 87.8.

He enters 2026 leading all FBS players in career snaps and with 42 career starts, part of a Virginia line projected to have the most combined career snaps of any unit in the country. A sixth-year player who arrived before the Tony Elliott era began, Josey has been the anchor of that group since 2022. Run blocking remains the area where he has room to grow before the NFL Draft.

9. Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee Volunteers

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'2", 310 lbs.

Moe started 11 games across both guard spots in 2025, earned AP All-SEC First Team honors, and logged 689 snaps on a Tennessee line that led the SEC in scoring. Across 2,464 career offensive snaps at Arizona and Tennessee, he has allowed just two sacks, a career efficiency rate that ranks among the best on this list.

A three-star prospect out of Long Beach Poly who walked on at Arizona before working his way into a starting role, Moe transferred to Tennessee in January 2025 and immediately became one of the unit's most reliable pieces. He enters his final season in Knoxville on a line that returns five starters and is looking to recapture the physicality that made it one of the SEC's best in 2023 and 2024.

8. Laurence Seymore, Texas Longhorns

Graduate Senior in 2026; 6'2", 315 lbs.

Seymore earned FWAA Second-Team All-America honors at Western Kentucky in 2025, allowing just one sack and eight total pressures across 503 pass-blocking snaps. A six-year college player with stops at Miami, Akron, and WKU, he arrives in Austin with more experience than virtually anyone on this list.

He is not participating in spring practice while finishing his undergraduate degree at WKU but is expected to enroll and compete for the starting left guard job ahead of fall camp. OL coach Kyle Flood has been in contact via Zoom. With Texas having struggled to stabilize the guard position in 2025, Seymore is the program's answer to protecting Arch Manning's interior pocket.

7. Drew Evans, Indiana Hoosiers

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'4", 307 lbs.

Evans has started games at left guard in each of his two seasons at Indiana, logging 656 career pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack. He missed four games in 2025 with a lower-body injury but returned for the playoff run on a line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist and helped Indiana win the national championship.

This spring he is working at center as the Hoosiers search for a replacement for Pat Coogan, who has moved on to the NFL. Evans and redshirt senior Bray Lynch are the top internal candidates, with Evans' long relationship with OL coach Bob Bostad, who he followed from Wisconsin to Bloomington, making him a natural fit in the middle. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he enters his final season as one of the more versatile and experienced pieces on a line replacing several key contributors.

6. Addison Nichols, SMU Mustangs

Redshirt Senior in 2026; 6'5", 320 lbs.

Nichols started all 13 games at right guard in 2025, posted a 90.0 PFF pass-blocking grade that ranked sixth in the FBS, and did not allow a sack across 875 pass-blocking snaps. His 86.0 PFF pass-blocking grade since 2024 is the highest of any guard on this list. SMU allowed only 19 total sacks on the season, 29th nationally and fifth in the ACC.

A four-star prospect out of Greater Atlanta Christian who began his career at Tennessee before moving to Arkansas and then SMU, Nichols has started games at center and guard across three programs. He played center at Arkansas in 2024 before shifting to right guard with the Mustangs, earning All-ACC Academic Team honors along the way. He enters his final season as one of the most statistically reliable pass-blocking guards in the country.

5. Shadre Hurst, Houston Cougars

Senior in 2026; 6'2", 295 lbs.

Hurst started all 14 games at left guard for Tulane in 2025, earned Second-Team All-America honors from the Sporting News, and graded out as the No. 6 guard nationally per PFF. A two-time All-AAC First Team selection, he was part of a Tulane line that ranked eighth nationally in sacks allowed per game and helped the Green Wave reach the College Football Playoff, only the second team in American Conference history to do so.

He transferred to Houston this offseason to reunite with head coach Willie Fritz, who recruited him out of high school. Despite drawing significant interest from other programs, he took a below-market deal to follow Fritz to the Cougars. At 6'2" and 295 pounds he is undersized for the position, but his four years of production at the highest level of the Group of Five and his PFF profile make the jump to Power Four a credible one.

4. Greg Johnson, Minnesota Golden Gophers

Senior in 2026; 6'6", 325 lbs.

Johnson started all 13 games in 2025, earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and Academic All-Big Ten recognition in his third season with the Gophers. He has started games at left guard, left tackle, and right tackle across his career, the kind of positional flexibility that has made him a cornerstone of a Minnesota line that ranked among the Big Ten's better run-blocking units.

He is currently recovering from an offseason procedure and has missed spring practice, though coach P.J. Fleck was direct about the prognosis: "He'll be fine." Johnson enters his senior year as the most experienced returning lineman on a unit that must replace two starters, making his return to full health before fall camp the most important development story on Minnesota's offensive line.

3. Luke Montgomery, Ohio State Buckeyes

Senior in 2026; 6'5", 312 lbs.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Luke Montgomery (51) blocks for Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) during the 2025 Cotton Bowl. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Montgomery started all 14 games at left guard in 2025, earned All-Big Ten honors, and was part of an Ohio State line that allowed just four sacks through the College Football Playoff. He appeared in 25 games over his first two seasons with the program, working his way from rotational piece to full-time starter on a national championship team.

This spring he is cross-training at center and tackle as the Buckeyes build positional depth across the line. A two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Montgomery enters his senior year as one of the more experienced interior players in the Big Ten.

2. Ezomo Oratokhai, Northwestern Wildcats

Redshirt Sophomore in 2026; 6'4", 310 lbs.

Oratokhai started all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2025, earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, and posted an 81.5 PFF pass-blocking grade that ranked 10th among Big Ten guards. He allowed just one sack and 10 pressures all season and did not give up a sack or quarterback hit in 12 of 13 games, the youngest starter on a Northwestern line that leans heavily on its interior.

The Athletic named him to its midseason national All-Freshman team. This spring he has moved to center as Northwestern works to shore up its line following the departures of Martes Lewis and Caleb Tiernan. He remains one of the most promising young interior linemen in the Big Ten regardless of where he lines up.

1. Evan Tengesdahl, Cincinnati Bearcats

Redshirt Junior in 2026; 6'3", 323 lbs.

Tengesdahl started all 13 games at left guard in 2025, earned AP Third-Team All-American honors, and graded out as the No. 6 guard in the country per PFF with an 82.8 rating, the top mark in the Big 12. Cincinnati finished second nationally with only eight sacks allowed and was a Joe Moore Award semifinalist, a line Tengesdahl anchored from his first start.

This spring he is working across all three interior positions as OL coach Nic Cardwell sorts out his best five-man group following the departure of center Gavin Gerhardt. Tengesdahl played center before moving to guard earlier in his career, so the versatility is nothing new. With two years of eligibility remaining, he is the most experienced returning interior lineman in the Big 12.

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