Ranking Big 12 offensive linemen: Baylor's Connor Galvin tops list of conference's best OL
Offensive line might be at the bottom when ranking position groups by glamor.
The big men who create time for quarterbacks to find open receivers downfield and space for running backs to make highlight plays, though, are near the top of the list of importance.
With the start of the season closing in, we continue our series of Big 12 rankings with the offensive line:
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1. Connor Galvin, Baylor
The fifth-year tackle from Katy, Texas, was a first-team All-America selection by The Athletic and a third-team pick by The Associated Press last season. He has 37 starts in 45 career games, mostly playing left tackle for the Bears. Galvin was among the top pass blockers in college football last season, grading at 91.2 — fourth among tackles — according to Pro Football Focus.
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2. Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Beebe made a big leap last season as a redshirt sophomore, when he started 13 games at left tackle and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors by both the coaches and AP. Beebe did not allow a sack in 367 pass blocking snaps and helped the Wildcats tie for second in the Big 12 with 29 rushing touchdowns. He also saw time at right guard.
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3. Jacob Gall, Baylor
Gall came up big last season in Waco after transferring from Buffalo. He finished tops in the Big 12 and No. 10 nationally in PFF’s grades for centers. He started all 14 games and helped the Bears offensive line become a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which honors the top offensive line in college football. Gall has played 47 career games with 27 starts at his two stops.
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4. Trevor Downing, Iowa State
Downing has mostly been a guard for the Cyclones but shifted to center for the Cheez-It Bowl against Clemson to end last season. A lot will be placed on Downing’s shoulders as he moves to center full time this season, and with a new quarterback and running back behind him. Downing’s PFF grades don’t jump off the page, but his versatility and consistency make him one of the top linemen in the league.
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5. Zach Frazier, West Virginia
Frazier has become a staple of the Mountaineers line in his first two seasons in Morgantown, starting 22 games and playing 23. During his first college season, Frazier played left tackle and did not allow a sack. Last season, he shifted to center. In 10 of his 13 games, he did not record a missed assignment and he only allowed three sacks all season.
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6. Hunter Woodard, Oklahoma State
Woodard has 22 career starts up front for the Cowboys, behind only quarterback Spencer Sanders in career starts among OSU offensive returners. Woodard started the last 12 games of the last season at right guard, with 10 pancake blocks and 32 knockdowns, according to Cowboys coaches. Woodard was PFF’s top-rated pass blocker among Big 12 guards last season at 84.5.
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7. Anton Harrison, Oklahoma
Harrison broke out last season, starting 12 games at left tackle. In an up-and-down season for the Sooners’ offensive line, Harrison was the most consistent piece, grading out at 85.6 in pass blocking according to PFF. He allowed just two sacks. One of the downsides of Harrison’s 2021 season was the six penalties he earned, but if he can clean that up, the junior could make a significant rise on this list by the end of the season.
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8. Doug Nester, West Virginia
After transferring from Virginia Tech before last season, Nester started all 13 games at right guard for the Mountaineers last season and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from PFF. He was part of the group that helped Leddie Brown rush for more than 1,000 yards. Nester did it all while dealing with a broken bone in his right hand for much of the early part of the season.
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9. Khalil Keith, Baylor
Keith broke into the starting lineup for the Bears in the latter half of last season, starting the final six games of the season at right tackle. He helped the Bears win both the Big 12 Championship Game and against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Keith has appeared in 41 career games with 15 starts during his first five seasons in Waco.
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10. McKade Mettauer, Oklahoma
![Offensive lineman McKade Mettauer (72) goes through drills as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) holds fall camp practice at the rugby fields on Aug. 16, 2022 in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/M2pS2Mv858CTgGAhTT2TQQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY2Mg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-oklahoman/df8e55d249096ee00ebd2ad698100b3b)
The lone Big 12 newcomer on the list, Mettauer transferred to Norman from Cal, where he started all 12 games at right guard last season. He helped the Bears post more than 200 yards rushing four times last season and earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors from PFF and honorable mention from the league’s coaches. During his three seasons in Berkeley, Mettauer started 28 of 29 games. He’s expected to be one of the Sooners’ starters at guard this season.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ranking Big 12 offensive linemen: Baylor's Connor Galvin tops list
