Army barely throws the ball, and its offensive line still grades out as the best in college football. The Black Knights lead Pro Football Network’s CFB offensive line Impact Grades at 94.3, ahead of Houston (93.7), Iowa (92.5), Missouri (91.9) and UCLA (90.4). PFN grades 138 FBS lines.

PFN college football analyst Max Chadwick went through that top five on PFN’s YouTube channel and treated it as the early field for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the nation’s best offensive line. For each unit he looked at pressure rate allowed, yards before contact per carry and the grades of the linemen doing the work.

Why Army’s Line Ranks No. 1

Army runs the ball the way an academy offense does, and Chadwick said that is where the grade comes from. He cited 6.5 yards per carry, fourth in the country, and 1.5 yards before contact per carry, second nationally. The pass protection numbers are a bonus. “Army doesn’t really throw the ball at all, but they still lead the country with a 14.6% pressure rate allowed this season,” he said, adding that Army’s 4.33-second time to pressure is the third-longest in the country.

Video via Pro Football Network.

The line’s best player is right tackle Teddy Williams. Chadwick said his 97.3 grade is the second-highest of any offensive lineman and the best of any tackle in the country. Right guard Paolo Gennarelli (95.4), center Brady Small (92.3), left guard Kyle Kloska (92.2) and left tackle Henry Appleton (90.2) complete a line Chadwick summed up simply: “I mean, all five guys, 90 grades or higher. That’s elite.”

He was less sure the voters would agree. “I don’t know if they can win the Joe Moore Award because the Joe Moore Award usually goes out to a Power Four offensive line,” Chadwick said, and he wondered whether the award would go to a team that rarely passes. He noted that Army won it in 2024. The Black Knights are 5-2 and second in the American, and they play at Memphis on Oct. 31.

Is Houston the Most Improved Line in the Country?

Chadwick put Houston second at 93.7 and called it “what I would argue maybe is the most improved offensive line in the country.” He said the line was a problem last season and that Houston “really hammered it in the portal.” Army plays in the American and Houston in the Big 12, so the Cougars have the highest-graded line in the Power Four.

He cited a 21.8% pressure rate allowed, seventh-best nationally, and 5.4 yards per carry. For him the more telling run-game number was 1.2 yards before contact per carry, which he said ranks 18th in the country.

The interior is the main reason Houston ranks this high. Chadwick said left guard Shadre Hurst (98.7) and center Anthony Boswell (97.2) are the two highest-graded offensive linemen in the Power Four, and he called Hurst the top-graded lineman in the country. Both transferred in from outside the Power Four, Hurst from Tulane and Boswell from Toledo. “So, I would give Anthony Boswell the Rimington Trophy for the best center in the country,” Chadwick said. He also called Hurst a real Outland Trophy candidate.

He gave credit to Willie Fritz and his staff for finding linemen he described as a little undersized and possibly overlooked by Power Four programs. Right guard McKenzie Agnello, a holdover from last season, grades at 93.6, which led Chadwick to say “this is the best interior offensive line in the country right now.” Left tackle Alvin Ebosele (88.9) and right tackle Drew Terrill (86.6), another transfer, from Miami (Ohio), mean all five starters grade 86 or higher by his count.

Can Iowa Win a Record Third Joe Moore Award?

Iowa won the Joe Moore Award last year, according to Chadwick, and ranks third at 92.5. He said Iowa, Alabama and Michigan are the only schools to win it twice, and that the Hawkeyes “could win it for a record third time this year, the way they’re playing.”

The passing game hasn’t been good, but Chadwick said the line has protected whoever is playing quarterback, Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski. He put Iowa’s pressure rate allowed at 22.3%, ninth nationally. The Hawkeyes average 6.1 yards per carry, which he said ranks eighth, and 1.2 yards before contact per carry, which is in the top 20.

Guard Kade Pieper leads the unit with a 90.3 grade. Chadwick called him one of the best guards in America and a possible first- or second-round pick. He also cited left tackle Trevor Lauck (88.5), whom he sees as a future NFL starter, new center Cale Reeder (82.8), who he believes has allowed one pressure all season, and left guard Leighton Jones (81.2).

Missouri’s Case Rests on Pass Protection

Missouri is fourth at 91.9. Chadwick cited a 21% pressure rate allowed, sixth in the country, and a 3.01-second time to pressure, and said “what they’ve done in pass protection has been the most impressive part in my opinion.”

The run-blocking numbers are weaker. Chadwick said Missouri’s 0.8 yards before contact per carry ranks 105th, but he didn’t put that on the line. He questioned whether running back Jamal Roberts, whom he described as productive but up and down, has seen the holes the line is opening. “I think they’ve been better in run-blocking than those yards before contact stat would indicate,” he said.

Chadwick expects the run game to improve once Ahmad Hardy returns. Going into the season, he thought Hardy might have been the best running back in the country. According to Chadwick, Hardy has not played this year after being shot as a bystander at a concert in May. He is back at practice, and Chadwick estimated he could return within a couple of weeks. Chadwick also singled out left tackle Cayden Green, citing an 81 grade and calling him a possible first- or second-round pick.

UCLA’s Run Blocking Is Carrying an Unbeaten Team

UCLA rounds out the top five at 90.4, and Chadwick argued that no line on the list has had to carry more. He described quarterback Nico Iamaleava as an up-and-down passer before an injury he said ended Iamaleava’s season, leaving the job to backup Ty Dieffenbach. The Bruins are still 7-0 and first in the Big Ten. Chadwick said they win when they “play elite defense and run the heck out of the football.”

He cited 6.3 yards per carry, fifth nationally, and 1.4 yards before contact per carry, which he said ranks sixth in the country and second in the Power Four behind Georgia. He called the 31.7% pressure rate allowed average, ranking 64th, so UCLA’s place on the list comes from its run blocking. Chadwick singled out right guard Julian Armella (84.9) and center Riley Robell (84.5).

Chadwick noted that UCLA won three games last season and said the Bruins could make the playoff in Bob Chesney’s first year. They host Nevada on Oct. 31.