Northwestern’s new-look offensive line

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 15: Ezomo Oratokhai #62 of the Northwestern Wildcats lines up at the line of scrimmage prior to the play during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Wrigley Field on November 15, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Northwestern’s offensive line is looking to continue last season’s success, but will do so with some new guys up front.

New offensive line coach Tim Drevno brings 33 years of coaching experience, mainly in college but also a three-year NFL stint, in which he has led six offensive linemen to being selected in the first round of the NFL draft, five of those coming in the last six years. Ryan Olson also returns, albeit in a more supplementary role. Rounding out the offensive line coaching staff is Paul Grattan, who served as Duquesne’s running backs coach the past two seasons. Altogether, this group brings experience to a group of players that hasn’t played together at all.

“It’s about development because you have 18 guys in the room, and then you got three quality line coaches that are coaching them,” Drevno said. “I think if anybody in America wants to come to a place to get developed, this is a top notch place to do that because you got three quality line coaches to do it.”

The Wildcats will need to lean heavily on more developed players, mainly Ezomo Oratokhai. The now-redshirt sophomore had a tremendous 2025 campaign, in which he started all 13 games and was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

What makes the 2026 season so vital for Oratokhai is his move from guard to center.

“This is my first time snapping,” Oratokhai said. “It’s a lot harder than it looks, but you get the hang of it, get the rhythm.”

Drevno spoke about how he views Oratokhai moving positions, touting how he’s a center at the next level and that his positional change will help his draft stock in the future. Drevno has the experience and results of developing offensive lineman, especially recently, that Oratokhai could be due for an even more impressive 2026 campaign than what he showed in 2025.

The question of who will play on either side of Oratokhai still looms. The Wildcats brought in three 6-foot-7 transfer tackles, Grant Seagren, Arkel Anugwom and David Anchondo, plus five first-years who are listed as offensive linemen. This doesn’t even mention the number of returners on the O-line who are looking to carve out roles and show more of the development that Drevno preaches about Northwestern football.

“Dennis [Rahouski] is doing great.” Drevno said. “A really athletic guy and he’s done a nice job at the guard position, playing tackle, playing a little bit of center. You can really see his athleticism on the film.”

Rahouski is entering his redshirt sophomore season after making just two appearances across his first two collegiate seasons. Even with his limited playing time, both Drevno and Oratokhai mentioned him as someone who could see the field often. Another name brought up by them was redshirt junior Anthony Birsa, who Drevno said is a “really good technician” and “really smart” player who “understands the blocking schemes.”

As for the transfers, Seagren brings Power Four experience from Oklahoma State, and is a somewhat similar situation in terms of the revamping of the offensive coaching staff for when he played in Stillwater.

“[Mike] Gundy cleared house on all coordinators when I got there,” Seagren said. “You have to do their extra little meetings and figure out who you’re playing for, especially in the recruiting process, but once you get there, it’s a lot of figuring out ‘this is how they coach and how do I get the most out of somebody that knows what they know.'”

Seagren’s past experiences with a new coaching staff brings an advantage for him in navigating it all, and could be a direct ticket to emerging as a leader on the offensive line alongside Oratokhai, who has been spoken about highly by his teammates and coaches. The culture and history for Northwestern’s offensive line is big, considering that Caleb Tiernan is projected to be a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and both Rashawn Slater and Peter Skoronski were first-round selections this decade.

“Consistently, you hear these guys were there every day,” Seagren said. “Consistently, they’re doing the extra things, they’re doing the little things right. You hear a lot about the processes that took them where they are now.”

Combining this history of producing strong offensive line talent with Drevno’s experience, and it’s a recipe for success. While it will be a new-look group with only one Northwestern stalwart in Oratokhai, the ceiling is through the roof for this group if it all can be put together.