A wise man once said that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I don’t know who that man is but I figured I’d throw that in because we’re running an ultra marathon to the start of college football and today we highlight two offensive tackles that excelled in their college days.
The first guy is one that paved the way for the other player on this list. Anthony Muñoz is like the God Father for the offensive line position because of his tenacious play and mauler mentality.
Not only was Muñoz a standout offensive tackle, he also pitched for the USC Trojans on their 1978 National Championship team. Just an absolute freak of nature. In his four years at USC, Muñoz won four bowl games, three of which were in the Rose Bowl.
Muñoz battled knee injuries through his college career, one of which was torn ligaments that held him out during his senior season. Towards the end of the season, Muñoz could have requested a medical redshirt or prepared for the draft but he returned to play in the Rose Bowl because he couldn’t “imagine missing that experience with my guys,”. True football guy.
The next player is one that played decades later in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Wolverines. Taylor Lewan is an ultimate football guy and made his name known at Michigan.
Coming out of high school in Arizona, Lewan was a four star prospect and played in the Under Armour All American Game. He was also named SuperPrep All-American and the nation's No. 10 overall offensive line prospect.
As a Wolverine, Lewan collected a handful of accolades. He was the 2012 and 2013 BIG Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, three time BIG Ten First Team, and two time All American in 2012 and 2013.
Lewan ran into some legal trouble while at Michigan for fighting an Ohio State fan. It didn’t really hurt his draft stock overall as he landed in Nashville and has been a huge name and personality for the Titans.
In Nashville, he crushes beers at Predators games and hosts the Bussin With the Boys podcast with his teammate Will Compton.
Tomorrow for day 76, we look at another Michigan offensive lineman that took home the BIG Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award.