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If Nevada is going to take the next step in 2026, it will come down to whether the offensive line can continue the progress it made a season ago.
While the Wolf Pack finished just 3-9 in 2025, the offensive line quietly became one of the most improved position groups on the roster. Nevada allowed just 18 sacks during the regular season, the fourth-fewest total in the Mountain West, while paving the way for three different running backs to eclipse 300 rushing yards. It wasn’t a dominant unit, but it was one that steadily improved as the season progressed.
Now, offensive line coach Cameron Norcross enters 2026 with an experienced offensive line
Nevada returns multiple starters while adding several transfer portal linemen who have played meaningful snaps at the FBS level. For a team looking to improve offensively, that continuity may be the biggest reason for optimism heading into fall camp.
Jack Foster Anchors the Left Side
The leader of the room is Jack Foster.
After transferring from Idaho before the 2025 season, Foster immediately became one of the most dependable players on Nevada’s roster. He started all 12 games at left tackle and was named the recipient of Nevada’s Basalite Big Blocker Award, recognizing him as the team’s top offensive lineman.
Foster’s impact went beyond individual accolades. His consistency on the blind side helped stabilize a young offense while protecting multiple quarterbacks throughout the season. As the line improved, Foster became the cornerstone of the unit, providing veteran leadership and reliability against some of the Mountain West’s best pass rushers.
Entering his final collegiate season, Foster will once again be tasked with protecting Nevada’s most valuable asset in whoever wins the quarterback job.
Snoop Leota-Amaama Returns as One of Nevada’s Most Experienced Linemen
While Foster anchors the left tackle position, Snoop Leota-Amaama could be the emotional leader of Nevada’s offensive line.
The redshirt senior transferred to Nevada from Virginia prior to the 2024 season and took a significant step forward in 2025. Leota-Amaama appeared in nine games, making six starts at guard, before suffering a season-ending injury. During his time on the field, he helped pave the way for three Wolf Pack running backs to eclipse 300 rushing yards while Nevada finished fourth in the Mountain West by allowing just 18 sacks during the regular season.
At 6-foot-4 and 331 pounds, Leota-Amaama is one of the biggest players on Nevada’s roster, but his value extends far beyond size. He brings Power Four experience from his time at Virginia and has developed into one of the Wolf Pack’s most physical interior linemen.
His return is one of the biggest reasons for optimism up front.
Before his injury last season, Leota-Amaama had established himself as a fixture on the interior offensive line, consistently creating movement in the running game while helping stabilize a young offense. Now entering his second full season as a starter in Reno, he is expected to play a major role in protecting whichever quarterback wins the starting job.
If Leota-Amaama can stay healthy for a full 12-game season, Nevada’s offensive line immediately becomes bigger, deeper, and considerably more experienced.
Transfer Duo Brings Valuable Experience
Perhaps the biggest offseason storyline is the addition of Jacob Norcross and Ethan Newman.
Both players arrive after spending time at Kennesaw State and Memphis, bringing valuable FBS experience to an already improving room. Their familiarity with college football should allow them to compete for starting jobs immediately rather than requiring a lengthy adjustment period.
Competition has been a recurring theme throughout Jeff Choate’s rebuild, and nowhere is that more evident than along the offensive line. Rather than handing jobs to returning players, Nevada has created legitimate battles across the interior.
If either Norcross or Newman secures a starting role, it would give the Wolf Pack another experienced body capable of handling the physical demands of Mountain West play.
Zach Cochnauer Provides Veteran Leadership
Another experienced addition to the room is Zach Cochnauer.
The former Central Arkansas standout brings versatility and maturity to Nevada’s offensive line. Whether he earns a starting job or becomes one of the first players off the bench, Cochnauer provides valuable depth for a position group that dealt with injuries throughout 2025. Depth often separates average offensive lines from good ones. Nevada appears much better equipped in that department entering 2026.
Young Talent Waiting in the Wings
While veterans are expected to headline the unit, Nevada also has several younger linemen continuing their development.
Players such as Tyler Miller, Henry Sellards, Jackson Ramsey, Mataio Aiono, Colin Banning, and Anthony Hastings have spent time learning the system and provide valuable depth entering camp.
That depth could prove critical over a 12-game season. The offensive line is rarely about the best five players, it’s about having seven or eight capable of stepping into meaningful snaps when injuries inevitably occur. Nevada appears closer to that standard than it has been in recent years.
The Biggest Question: Can the Line Take Another Step?
The Wolf Pack don’t necessarily need this group to become the best offensive line in the Mountain West, but there’s a very high chance that becomes the case.
Nevada’s offense averaged just 17.6 points per game last season, but the line was one of the few units that consistently trended upward. Protecting the quarterback wasn’t the biggest issue, as the Wolf Pack surrendered only 18 sacks during the regular season.
The next step is creating more push in the running game and helping generate explosive plays. If Nevada can consistently win at the line of scrimmage, it will make life significantly easier for the quarterback competition and a rebuilt receiving corps.
Outlook
Foster returns as Nevada’s unquestioned leader at left tackle after starting every game in 2025. Leota-Amaama is back after making six starts before an injury cut his season short, while transfers Norcross, Newman and veteran Cochnauer give coach Norcross one of the deepest groups he’s had since returning to Reno. With legitimate competition at nearly every spot and multiple players who have started college games, this has the potential to be Nevada’s most improved unit entering 2026.
Position Grade Entering Summer: B+
Nevada returns its top offensive lineman, adds experienced transfers, and brings back more continuity than any other offensive position group. The pieces are in place for the offensive line to become one of the most improved units in the Mountain West, and if it does, the Wolf Pack’s path to bowl eligibility becomes much more realistic.
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