SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The offensive line will showcase its size and experience this season for the Bryant University football team.

Today's offensive line preview is the fourth of eight positional previews as the Bulldogs will kick off the 2026 season at Stonehill on August 29th.

Quick Outlook

The Black and Gold had eight different o-linemen start at various points last season. Anthony Perez, Jon Fagley, Ryan Dirksen, and Nikolas Molina, who all started nine-plus games, all graduated after the 2025 season. The o-line will be led by senior Wyatt Whalen, who was named Preseason All-CAA honorable mention, and fellow classmate Jake Waltman, who appeared in nine games for the Bulldogs. Junior Aden Smith also returns, having played in 11 of 12 games last season. Last year, the o-line helped the Black and Gold average 122 rushing yards per game, which was the most since 2021.

Returners: Wyatt Whalen Sr. | Jake Waltman Sr. | Aden Smith Jr. | Ayaan Sharfudeen So. | Silas Tiedermann So. | TJ Woods So. | Colin Maher So. | Aleks Freyman So. | Destyn Hoggard So. | Vladimir Acosta So. | Brennan Kurtz So.

Newcomers: Jack Funke R-Sr. | Hector Vasquez So. | Ryan Houghtaling Fr. | Jordan Evans Fr. | Nisaiah Maldonado Fr. | Ben Martel Fr. | Elijah Diaz Fr.

Notes and Notables

• Whalen, Smith, and Waltman combined for 29 games played last year.
• Jack Funke is a senior transfer who spent the last four seasons at Boston College.
• Vasquez joins the Black and Gold from Cisco Junior College.
• The two transfers are both 6-7 with an average weight of 315.
• The Bulldogs' O-line allowed only 15 sacks last year, which was the lowest total allowed since 2015.
• The five freshman O-linemen have an average height of 6-4 and weight of 309 pounds.