Kari Gibb/MDN Assistant head coach Tom Simi works with sophomore Aidan Shumate (62) and redshirt freshman Jamal Neal (70) in drills on reading stunts at the MSU spring practice.

What weighs 3,150 pounds and shakes the ground when it walks? The offensive line group for the Minot State University football team this spring.

The group averages 315 pounds and just over six-foot, two-inches per player with lots of mass to move things out of the way for the skill players on the Beaver’s offensive side of the ball.

“We like to be tough, physical and gritty on the O-line,” said MSU football head coach Ian Shields. “The offensive line sets the tone for the team. We have some great continuity and leadership in that group.”

The offensive line group contains centers, who snap the ball to start each play, guards and tackles. These players are ‘in the box’ and few groups of players know how to communicate better or move in coordination more seamlessly than the offensive line does.

This group moves from the huddle to the line of scrimmage and in roughly ten seconds must assess what front the defense is using, whether the called play will require zone blocking with double teams to the linebackers or trap blocking with veer movement for angle blocks. The situation might even call for sealing the ends and pulling others from the inside of the line around the outside. These decisions must be made and effectively communicated amongst the group before the quarterback comes to the line and makes his own reads to affect change with the skill players behind the offensive linemen.

“The defensive fronts and schemes will dictate the blocking actions,” said Shields. “We want to focus on being physical and aggressive at the point of attack.”

Senior Jake Swirple is a great example of what Shields is looking for in an offensive lineman. From Livonia, Michigan, the six-foot, 310-pounder is not only a seasoned player in the trenches, but was a 2022-23 NWCA Scholar All-American Team honoree and was a 2023 NCAA All-American honoree, finishing eighth at heavyweight (285) at the NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships.

Another prime example and leader for the group is senior DJ Schneibel who hails from Rugby just down the road. He was part of the defensive line group when he started the program, and the six-foot, two-inch mountain of a man is also academic all everything and listed on the school’s President’s List for academic excellence.

“The offensive line requires a young man to fill out physically and learn the ropes with the team for a bit,” said Shields. “We don’t usually see freshmen come right out of high school and start. It takes some time and we even like to have them play D-Line to know how to block those guys when they get to the offensive side of the ball.”

A prime example of that maturation and ‘D-Line’ path is senior Emmett Espino. The six-foot, one-inch, 310-pound player was on the defensive side of the ball until 2024. Espino is also on the schools President List and was a three sport athlete in high school adding baseball and wrestling to the mix.

Joining the group is six-foot, three-inch senior Matt Sanchez out of College of the Sequoias. The 290-pound Californian also played basketball in high school. He is joined by sophomore Max Bray who saw action in four games in 2023, sophomore Aidan Shumate out of Texas, redshirt freshman Mahonri Tonumaipea from Utah, redshirt freshman Jamal Neal from Georgia and redshirt freshman Puka Perrierra (Hawaii). .

Rounding out the group are the players from the far reaches of the globe with redshirt freshman Kjell Olsson (Sweden) and true freshman Robert Overton (Canada) rounding out the group.

The Beavers’ offensive line group does not need to look far for examples of players who have made it into the National Football League (NFL). Former Minot State athlete Sebastian Gutierrez was on the 2021 team for the Beavers and appeared in 40 games over his MSU career.

Gutierrez, at six-foot, six-inches and 308-pounds originally entered the NFL after signing with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022. He has spent time on the practice squads with the New England Patriots (2022), Las Vegas Raiders (2022-23) and Kansas City Chiefs (2023) and has appeared in one game with the Raiders. In 2023, Gutierrez recently joined the San Francisco 49ers.

Cody Mauch was born in Minnesota but he grew up in Hankinson where he played baseball and basketball in addition to football and played his college football at the University of North Dakota. The six-foot, six-inch guard is currently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and plays at just over 300-pounds.

Cordell Volson grew up in Balfour and attended Drake-Anamoose High School where he was on the offensive-defensive lines, tight end, kicker, fullback, linebacker and punter on the nine man team. He played at North Dakota State University. The six-foot, six-inch guard is currently with the Cincinnati Bengals and plays at 315 pounds.