Photo by: Aly Bayliss
2026 Position Preview: Offensive Line
8/19/2026 7:30:00 AM | Football
When Justin Sinz arrived at Abilene Christian seven months ago, the first thing he noticed about his offensive line was their size.
"We had some good size in the room," Sinz said. "They look like guys who are in those [Power Four team] rooms. A lot of them played quite a bit of ball last year. There's a lot of experience back in the room."
That experience, paired with a competitive edge, has turned the offensive line into one of ACU's most reliable units heading into the season.The group is anchored by center Colter Lynch, right guard Landon Roaten and right tackle Luke Roaten who each started all 14 games for the Wildcats in 2025. Kaden Carr also started nine games at left guard and Cameron Vann, an Abilene Wylie graduate, got snaps at left tackle.
For Sinz, the group's growth has been clear.
"Every guy in the room has gotten better," he said. "Everyone wants to play and they're hungry."
Depth and Competitive Edge
Sinz and the staff added experienced transfer players to push the returners such as Davion Martinez, who started at Southern Utah last year, and Austin Lopez, a two-year starter at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls.
"We brought some guys in the summer who have played at this level," he said. "We brought in some experience to challenge the guys that were here coming back, to say, 'Hey, you have to keep improving.' If they're not, we've got guys with experience that are nipping right at their heels."
That competition has paid off.
"That's been really fun to see because that's made everyone in the room better," Sinz said. "Everyone wants to play, right? That's been super good to see this fall camp.
"We talk a lot in our room about unit strength. Whoever's on the field, we expect to execute at a championship-level. We have the talent in the room to make that a reality."
The Twin Connection
Among the returners, the Roaten twins — Landon and Luke — anchor the right side of the line. Sinz doesn't believe he's ever coached brothers before -- let alone twins.
"They obviously hold each other super accountable," he said. "They communicate really well… there's certainly some sort of twin [connection]. They can pass off twists, they can handle post-snap movement really, really well together."
Standouts in the Room
Beyond the returning leaders, Sinz highlighted others who have impressed.
"Cameron Vann and Kaden Carr have had really good fall camps," he said. "They've been much improved."
Sinz also pointed to the added depth.
"Both Davion Martinez and Austin Lopez and Wes Tucker have given us depth on the edges… which gives us more versatility and more competitive depth."
Sinz also believes an important piece of their transfers is versatility to play either guard or tackle.
Family and Familiarity
Off the field, Sinz's family expanded with a girl born in May making him a father of four -- all daughters.
"The Abilene community has been super welcoming to us and our family," he said. "We appreciate that and we're super excited for a fun season."
Sinz also credits his relationship with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell for a smooth transition.The two, and tight ends coach Stanton Keane, worked together at Purdue from 2023-24, and Sinz has also been on the same staff as defensive line coach Nick Holt.
"It's not really even what Graham wants to do in terms of scheme, which is important, but even just how he wants things done and what he expects from the offensive line coach. I actually was living with Graham and his family for about the first four months I was here, so we were spending a lot of time together."
He added that head coach Keith Patterson's family-friendly environment has made a difference.
"That's important to me because my girls love coming over here," Sinz said. "The fact that he's so open-minded and welcoming to that has been awesome."
"We had some good size in the room," Sinz said. "They look like guys who are in those [Power Four team] rooms. A lot of them played quite a bit of ball last year. There's a lot of experience back in the room."
That experience, paired with a competitive edge, has turned the offensive line into one of ACU's most reliable units heading into the season.The group is anchored by center Colter Lynch, right guard Landon Roaten and right tackle Luke Roaten who each started all 14 games for the Wildcats in 2025. Kaden Carr also started nine games at left guard and Cameron Vann, an Abilene Wylie graduate, got snaps at left tackle.
For Sinz, the group's growth has been clear.
"Every guy in the room has gotten better," he said. "Everyone wants to play and they're hungry."
Depth and Competitive Edge
Sinz and the staff added experienced transfer players to push the returners such as Davion Martinez, who started at Southern Utah last year, and Austin Lopez, a two-year starter at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls.
"We brought some guys in the summer who have played at this level," he said. "We brought in some experience to challenge the guys that were here coming back, to say, 'Hey, you have to keep improving.' If they're not, we've got guys with experience that are nipping right at their heels."
That competition has paid off.
"That's been really fun to see because that's made everyone in the room better," Sinz said. "Everyone wants to play, right? That's been super good to see this fall camp.
"We talk a lot in our room about unit strength. Whoever's on the field, we expect to execute at a championship-level. We have the talent in the room to make that a reality."
The Twin Connection
Among the returners, the Roaten twins — Landon and Luke — anchor the right side of the line. Sinz doesn't believe he's ever coached brothers before -- let alone twins.
"They obviously hold each other super accountable," he said. "They communicate really well… there's certainly some sort of twin [connection]. They can pass off twists, they can handle post-snap movement really, really well together."
Standouts in the Room
Beyond the returning leaders, Sinz highlighted others who have impressed.
"Cameron Vann and Kaden Carr have had really good fall camps," he said. "They've been much improved."
Sinz also pointed to the added depth.
"Both Davion Martinez and Austin Lopez and Wes Tucker have given us depth on the edges… which gives us more versatility and more competitive depth."
Sinz also believes an important piece of their transfers is versatility to play either guard or tackle.
Family and Familiarity
Off the field, Sinz's family expanded with a girl born in May making him a father of four -- all daughters.
"The Abilene community has been super welcoming to us and our family," he said. "We appreciate that and we're super excited for a fun season."
Sinz also credits his relationship with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell for a smooth transition.The two, and tight ends coach Stanton Keane, worked together at Purdue from 2023-24, and Sinz has also been on the same staff as defensive line coach Nick Holt.
"It's not really even what Graham wants to do in terms of scheme, which is important, but even just how he wants things done and what he expects from the offensive line coach. I actually was living with Graham and his family for about the first four months I was here, so we were spending a lot of time together."
He added that head coach Keith Patterson's family-friendly environment has made a difference.
"That's important to me because my girls love coming over here," Sinz said. "The fact that he's so open-minded and welcoming to that has been awesome."
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