Colorado football 2023 state of the position: Interior offensive line

The Buffaloes have had an impressive history regarding their hog mollies who have manned the interior offensive line. This season, Colorado will have the services of an experienced sophomore center who balled out as a freshman, but there appears to be a battle at the guard spots.

When it comes to the guards, I had jokingly taken to calling it the “battle of the B’s,” assuming it would be between Tyler Brown, Jack Bailey and Landon Bebee, but one Jack Wilty has taken my nickname and pancaked it into the ground.

Here’s how I project CU’s interior offensive line to shake out entering the 2023 season:

Starting Center: Van Wells

One of the few holdovers from last year’s team, Van Wells seems to have locked the center position down after a freshman season that saw him make Pro Football Focus’ 2022 All-Freshman Team.

Backup Center: Hank Zilinskas

A local kid from Cherry Creek High School, Hank Zilinskas is a true freshman who will gain weight and experience from the sidelines in what looks like a redshirt season barring other injuries.

Starting Left Guard: Jack Bailey

The left side of the line will be a battle between Jack Bailey and Landon Bebee. I have been on the Bebee train with past projections but for now, I believe Bailey will edge out over Bebee. Bailey’s experience with the coaching staff will be the main factor.

Backup Left Guard: Landon Bebee

Entering his final season of college football, Landon Bebee will put up a fight for a spot in fall camp and will see the field plenty as he can fill in at both guard spots.

Starting Right Guard: Tyler Brown

The biggest guard on the roster, Tyler Brown is the perfect right guard. Tipping the scales at 310 pounds, Brown will be the point main when it comes to the power running game for the Buffaloes.

Backup Right Guard: Jack Wilty

Jack Wilty worked with the starting offense throughout at least most of spring ball and so far in fall camp. The transfer lineman from Iowa Central Community College will be a valuable piece to the line this year as he also owns experience at tackle.

Star Player: Van Wells

While the other spots are up for debate, there are no questions about who the leader of the offensive line is. Wells is ready for a big season as he has seemingly gained the trust of the new coaches. Wells was one of the first players to be seen working with quarterback Shedeur Sanders in offseason workouts and should take a big step forward in 2023.

Position Pipeline

Owen Westemeyer and Reggie Young are the only other players listed as guards on the Buffaloes’ roster. Because we already covered Young in our tackle breakdown, this is a Westemeyer section.

Owen Westemeyer joined the Buffaloes as a walk-on in May after playing both tight end and offensive line in high school. Westemeyer will need to pack on the weight as he is listed at 265 pounds. He’ll likely be using a redshirt season to learn the position and get up to guard size.

Further reading

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Story originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire