2024 CFB Season: Top Centers In College Football
The Men In The Middle:
Alabama Center Parker Brailsford (72) - 247 Sports
The offensive line is a thankless job. While the glamour position up front, offensive tackle, has become more respected by the masses over time, there’s still a way to go as far as giving offensive linemen proper credit.
Especially when it comes to more power-based schemes, guards usually get the attention and prestige for their actions as pullers. Then there are the men in the middle, centers.
Centers are the soul of the offensive line. Physically, it is a demanding job, especially in instances where you will face a zero or shade technique (defensive lineman directly over the ball).
It’s incredibly hard to snap the ball and then get into your pass sets or come off the ball, fire with one arm, & move people in the run game. However, that’s only half of the demands of the job.
When it comes to the mental aspect centers are usually the most important part of the offense. Identification of defensive fronts and communication of calls that allows offense to either make adjustments or confirm the initial call, centers carry that weight on their shoulders pre-and post-snap.
Most people might think it’s the quarterback and in some cases that is true, but primarily it is the offensive line and more importantly, the center that holds on to that responsibility.
Without a good center, the offensive line can fall apart in a heartbeat. Especially at the collegiate level, you need a fantastic center to hold all things together. Here are my favorite offensive centers heading into the 2024 college football season.
The Top Fivers:
Tennessee’s Cooper Mays (# 63) 6’4 310:
Plays w/ 100% effort & finishing mentality. Technician pre/post snap. Springy athlete with fantastic 2nd-level ability. Strong hands & grip strength (does a great job of staying engaged through contact).
Alabama’s Parker Brailsford (# 72) 6’2 285:
Excellent athlete. Aggressive, mean finisher in the run game. Adds a different dimension to the pulling & screen game. Uses natural leverage, strength, & hand placement to anchor or drive w/ solo blocks.
Iowa’s Logan Jones (# 65) 6’3 293:
A compact frame creates natural leverage. Knee bender w/ explosive hips. Plays through the whistle. Plus blocker at 2nd level + in space. All-B1G in ‘23. Steady performer.
Virginia’s Brian Stevens (# 55) 6’2 296:
Experienced player. Understands leverage and hand placement. Has 2nd-level capability. Finisher through the whistle. Operates from a strong base in both facets of play.
NC State’s Zeke Correll (# 56) 6’3 307:
Notre Dame transfer. A quick athlete that gets the job done. Strong position blocker. Has a good leg drive when his hands are in place. All-around veteran with his understanding of the game.
Best Of The Rest:
Kansas’s Bryce Foster
Kentucky’s Eli Cox
UGA’s Jared Wilson
Ole Miss’s Caleb Warren
Ohio State’s Seth McLaughlin
