In advance of the 2026 high school football season, the Gainesville Sun is honoring the best of the best at each position in the Gainesville area.
We started with offense and hit the three big position groups — quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Then, we moved onto the defensive side with defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs. Now, we conclude with the most oft ignored group on the gridiron, but one that is absolutely essential to a squad’s success — the big uglies themselves, the offensive line.
Like defensive backs, the talent level for this position group is spectacular. That’s why we increased it to 11 players, as we did with defensive backs.
Many of these players listed come from the 2025 big and small school Gainesville Sun All-Area teams. Others come from coaches in an anonymous survey sent to them and from MaxPreps statistics.
Here are the top 11 offensive lineman in the Gainesville area.
Bryce Daniels, Buchholz
The best offensive lineman in the Gainesville-area? It’s clearly Bryce Daniels, who transferred from Bradford to Buchholz this offseason. A three-star prospect, Daniels committed to UAB over UCF, Navy and more.
Jaxon Zonin, Williston
Zonin is the first of three Williston offensive lineman to appear on this watchlist. Zonin was a First Team All-Area selectee and one of the key reasons the Red Devils averaged 267.8 yards per game. However, Williston’s top four rushers were seniors in 2025, and Robby Pruitt’s departure moves it away from the Wing-T.
Jaxson Ridgeway, Williston
Ridgeway’s first season with the Red Devils was a massive success that led to a First Team All-Area spot. However, as noted with Zonin, Williston will be a much less run heavy team in 2026.
Justin Conn, Trenton
Like the Red Devils, Trenton’s rush attack was the biggest reason for success in 2025. The Tigers averaged over 220 rush yards per game and return Zayne Braswell (429 yards) and Wyatt Landingham (655), as well as Conn, a First Team All-Area selection.
Brayden Lambert, Lafayette
The Hornets were remarkably pass happy in 2025 for a Rural School as Tywan Williamson threw for 1,906 yards, sixth in the classification. However, Williamson is gone, and with running back Trevor Byrd back, Lafayette — led by First Team All-Area honoree Lambert — is expected to be more run heavy.
Caiden Campbell, Fort White
The Indians decided to remain strong in the FHSAA this season, along with Williston, Chiefland and Hawthorne. It will be a tough challenge in Class 1A with Madison County in their district, but Campbell — a Second Team All-Area selectee — returning makes it a little easier.
Ibrahem Shaer, Buchholz
A First Team Big School All-Area honoree in 2025, Shaer joins Daniels to help form one of the best offensive lines in Florida. That is needed because the Bobcats lost a lot of key pieces on defense. However, Buchholz brings nearly everyone back offensively, making it one of the top in the state.
Trezon Richardson, Gainesville High
Richardson has been a constant presence on the All-Area team for the past two seasons, and now he’s back for his senior season under new head coach Ashour Peera and running back Javaris Gardner, a transfer from Eastside.
Trey Calhoun, Gainesville High
A force on the offensive line, Calhoun comes in at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds. As Peera attempts to rebuild the Hurricanes into a contender, he will likely rely on Calhoun and the rest of GHS’ “meat” to do so.
Jalen Nelson, Williston
The last of our three Williston selectees, Nelson plays both offensive and defensive line for the Red Devils.
Tate Brogdon, Chiefland
Brogdon’s name was suggested by Chiefland coach Cliff Harrell. The Indians might have lost star running back Demorri Sweet to graduation, but it’ll need players like Brogdon to hold down the fort in the all-competitive Class 1A.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter and Facebook Noah Ram – Reporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 11 best offensive linemen for the Gainesville area in the 2026 season
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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By Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
