- Jake Slaughter leads the way: Florida’s center is the top returning interior offensive lineman and was arguably the best center in the nation this past season.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
With the 2024 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2025 by ranking the top returning players at every position.
Next up is interior offensive linemen. It’s one of the strongest position groups, as many of the highest-graded guards and centers from 2024 are back for another year.
Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning interior offensive linemen in college football, in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.
Click below to view our other position rankings
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT
1. Jake Slaughter, Florida
One year after placing eighth on this list, Slaughter tops it after a stellar redshirt junior season. He was the only Power Four center to earn 80.0-plus PFF grades as a pass blocker and a run blocker. Even more impressive is that he faced a murderer’s row of defensive tackles, including Walter Nolen, Alfred Collins, Shemar Turner, Deone Walker, Omarr Norman-Lott and Joshua Farmer. All of those players should be selected in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Slaughter’s 85.8 PFF overall grade since 2023 trails only Jackson Powers-Johnson among Power Four centers. He moves very well at 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, allowing him to dominate in a zone blocking scheme.
Florida’s Jake Slaughter, has been one of the most consistent centers in both pass pro & run blocking in 2024.
Allowing only one QB hit and zero sacks through seven games, Slaughter is very technical in his blocking ability, shows good awareness in adjusting protections… pic.twitter.com/TbvdkGcOnw
— Jake Hefner (@JakeTHefner) October 30, 2024
2. Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M
Reed-Adams dominated in his first year with the Aggies. The Kansas transfer ranked second — behind only North Carolina‘s Willie Lampkin — in PFF overall grade, PFF run-blocking grade and PFF’s wins above average metric among Power Four guards.
He’s a powerful player at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds who can excel in any run-blocking scheme. Reed-Adams led all Power Four guards in gap run-blocking grade and ranked fourth in zone run-blocking grade.
Ar’maj Reed-Adams: Career PFF Grades
3. Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
Laloulu flashed across 413 snaps as a true freshman in 2023, leading all Power Four guards with a 0.9% pressure rate allowed. He shuffled all over the Ducks’ interior that year, playing at least 100 snaps each at center, left guard and right guard.
He became Oregon’s starting center as a sophomore and was one of only six Power Four centers to earn top-20 grades in pass blocking and run blocking. Laloulu still hasn’t surrendered a sack across 720 career pass-blocking snaps.
Iapani Laloulu is starting to become a force at the second level. Another stout performance by the Rimington Award Candidate 🦆 pic.twitter.com/qZeOxOUWdJ
— TrenchDawgz (@TrenchDawgz) November 10, 2024
4. Logan Jones, Iowa
Jones was the Power Four’s highest-graded center this past season, earning an 83.6 mark. He was particularly dominant in the run game, leading all Power Four centers with an 82.3 run-blocking grade. Despite weighing only 293 pounds, Jones is a powerful player who gets to the second level with ease.
He’s no slouch as a pass protector, placing 10th in the Power Four with a 1.8% pressure rate allowed this past season.
One of my favorite draft prospects so far this season is #Hawkeyes center Logan Jones
This guy’s an alien of an athlete (No. 9 on Feldman’s Freaks List) and his tape’s FULL of dominant reps like this 👇 pic.twitter.com/Uj8BPvdAo7
— The Draft Room (@TheDraftRoomNFL) October 25, 2024
5. Connor Lew, Auburn
Lew was named to PFF’s 2023 All-Freshman team after performing admirably at center for the Tigers, and he followed it up with an even better sophomore campaign.
His 76.4 PFF overall grade ranked fifth among Power Four centers, and he was one of only six who earned top-20 grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker. Lew surrendered a sack or hit on 0.2% of his pass-blocking snaps, tying for the eighth-best rate among Power Four centers.
I mean, just watch Jeremiah Wright and Connor Lew obliterate this poor defensive tackle. I can’t imagine being crushed by 600+ lbs of pancake. pic.twitter.com/k5VIvARTdB
— Sir Barnsalot (@barnsalot) September 5, 2024
6. Cayden Green, Missouri
After flashing encouraging signs at Oklahoma as a true freshman in 2023, Green transferred to Missouri and became a much more well-rounded player as a sophomore.
Green was one of six Power Four guards this past season who earned 75.0-plus grades as a pass blocker and a run blocker. Across 676 career pass-blocking snaps, he has allowed only one sack. He’ll enter his junior year with the Tigers as the best left guard in college football.
Cayden Green: Career PFF Grades
7. Parker Brailsford, Alabama
Brailsford entered 2023 as PFF’s top-ranked interior offensive lineman in college football following a dominant redshirt freshman season at Washington. He finished 2023 as the second-most valuable center in the nation, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
While his PFF run-blocking grade dropped by more than 19 points as a redshirt sophomore at Alabama, Brailsford still tied for 11th among Power Four centers in PFF pass-blocking grade (82.1).
He’s as elite of an athlete as they come, placing in the 100th percentile of PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric.
Alabama center Parker Brailsford playing at a really high level this season. pic.twitter.com/cRqVgEYeEw
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 11, 2024
8. Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
Ioane broke out in his second season as the Nittany Lions‘ starting left guard, placing as the fourth-most valuable Power Four guard, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. He earned 70.0-plus PFF grades as a pass blocker and a run blocker and was one of the 20 highest-graded guards in the Power Four this past season.
The redshirt junior is a massive 348-pounder who can pancake defensive linemen, both when he’s lined up at guard and used in motion.
An offensive lineman in motion is a scary sight 😳
Still not over this hit from @PennStateFball‘s Olaivavega Ioane 🥞😱 pic.twitter.com/M6NN7eoIqY
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2024
9. Tomas Rimac, Virginia Tech
The top transfer on this list, Rimac joins the Hokies after a productive redshirt junior campaign at West Virginia. His 78.6 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked fifth among Power Four guards, and he was one of only six in that group who earned 75.0-plus grades as a pass blocker and a run blocker.
He wrapped up the 2024 campaign as the third-most valuable Power Four guard, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
10. Jaeden Roberts, Alabama
Roberts placed seventh on this list a year ago and remains in the top 10 for his dominant run blocking. His 77.8 PFF run-blocking grade since 2023 ranks 10th among Power Four guards. Roberts has super-human strength at 310 pounds, as he can reportedly bench 525 pounds.
Jaeden Roberts: Career PFF Grades
Honorable Mention: Joshua Braun, Kentucky
After stops at Florida and Arkansas, Braun will play for his third SEC school in his sixth season. He was excellent as a pass protector for the Razorbacks this past year, placing 10th among Power Four guards with an 85.9 mark. His 71.5 PFF run-blocking grade was also a top-25 mark among that group.
AJ Green is GONE!
Great block by Arkansas’s RG Joshua Braun (#78) pic.twitter.com/OnfTGfZQy7
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 16, 2023
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
