In 2023, Liberty had one of the top offenses in the country. It is well documented. The Flames led the nation in rushing. Kaidon Salter developed into one of the top quarterbacks in all of college football. Quinton Cooley is one of the best running backs in the game.
All of that happened in large part due to the offensive line. The group of linemen don’t always get the fanfare they deserve, but last year’s offensive line for the Flames was arguably the best group the program has ever seen. Under first year offensive line coach Bill Durkin, Liberty had one of the best offensive fronts in the country.
A big part of that group’s success was the consistency and cohesion they developed. The Flames were one of only a handful of FBS teams to start the same five players on the offensive line in every game in 2023. That doesn’t happen. Normally injuries play a significant factor in offensive line play throughout a season. With the exception of Brendan Schlittler going down to a season-ending injury early in training camp, the rest of the offensive line stayed relatively healthy throughout the entire year.
Entering 2024, there were question marks about the offensive line as the Flames looked to replace three starters. Jordan White (center) and Xavior Gray (right tackle) were the only returning starters.
Jack Tucker, who was the first man off the bench last year to give someone a blow, returned and earned a starting spot during camp. Harrison Hayes has been in the program for a few years but had not played significant snaps, also earned a starting spot at right guard in the preseason. JP Flores, a transfer from Louisville, impressed the coaching staff throughout the summer and was locked in at left guard.
Then injuries happened. Flores got injured late in camp, just ahead of the season opener against Campbell. Gray left the Campbell game due to injury in the first quarter and did not return.
This forced the offensive line to be an ever-changing group of names and players being moved to different positions. White shifted from center to left guard, allowing Aaron Fenimore to step into the starting lineup at center, making his first start of his career. Tucker moved from left tackle to right tackle while Monmouth transfer Jordan Hall stepped in at right tackle.
“This is where we’re at right now,” Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell said earlier this week when discussing his offensive line early in the season.
All in all, with all of the changing pieces, the offensive line performed fairly well in Liberty’s season opening win over Campbell, 41-24. The Flames rushed for 279 yards and had over 500 yards of total offense, allowing only one sack. Still, there is some room for improvement for that unit as the competition begins to increase, beginning this week at New Mexico State.
“I think the key for us to make improvement there is those guys have got to continue to play together,” said Chadwell. “We made some mistakes that need to be corrected if we’re going to be able to move the ball consistently as we get into league play and against better opponents, at the end of the day. Some things that are very fixable. It wasn’t like it was a physical thing. It’s just more of some technique and doing the right things, going with the right people.”
“We did have some mental errors there that we can definitely improve,” he continued. “Sometimes that happens, you practice, you practice, then you get in front of 21,000 and it’s new. So those guys that have not played for us, or maybe not played in an environment like that, it’s a little different.”
As the old adage goes, the most improvement a team can make is from game one to game two. That could certainly stand to be the case for the Liberty offensive line. The first game jitters are out of the way. This group now knows what to expect from a game like environment, and should show some improvement on Saturday night.
“I think more than anything, what you’re looking for is, one, are they doing what we’re coached to do,” Chadwell explained. “And then secondly, are they emptying their tank? And what I mean by that is, I think when you have some injuries, those guys that had to maybe play a lot of snaps, maybe they didn’t let it all loose early on, trying to maybe hold themselves back a little bit. So, there’s a little disappointment there. I think we’ve got to let ourselves go, not saving it for later on in the game.”
While Flores continues to be out with a leg injury, Chadwell said he is hopeful to get Xavior Gray back, perhaps as soon as this week. That would certainly be a welcomed addition to the unit, adding a veteran and captain who knows what it takes week in and week out.
“As you look at the game, they got better,” Chadwell said of the offensive line in Week 1. “But there’s definitely marked improvement we need to make.”
