Sam Baker Tops Athlon Sports Pac-12 Offensive Linemen List

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Crucial to Pete Carroll’s BCS dominance during his tenure at USC was his ability to get elite offensive and defensive lineman to not only sign with the Trojans, but then develop.

Several lineman on both sides of the ball had decorated careers as Trojans before moving onto the NFL.  One of those, Sam Baker, was named the No. 1 Pac-12 offensive lineman during the BCS era by to Athlon Sports.

In order to qualify, lineman had to play at least one season in the former Pac-1o conference from 1998-2013.  Along with Baker, Matt Kalil, Ryan Kalil and Jacob Rogers also made Athlon’s top-10.

Charles Brown, Travis Claridge, Winston Justice and Deuce Lutui all “just missed the cut” and Tyron Smith appears in the “best of the rest” portion of the rankings.

Continue reading for Athlon’s synopsis of the applicable players:

"The stud left tackle charged with protecting Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush was a three-time, first-team All-American and three-time, first-team All-Pac-10 selection. Baker helped lead the way on teams that played in back-to-back national championship games and won four straight Pac-10 titles. USC was 47-5 during his time and he went on to be a first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2008 NFL Draft. 1. Sam Baker, USC (2004-07) 3. Ryan Kalil, USC (2003-06) The Rimington Finalist was one of the stars of the USC offensive line during its national championship run in the early 2000s. He played a big role on both the 2004 and ’05 BCS title game teams and was voted the Morris Trophy winner in 2006. He also earned All-American honors and was drafted in the second round of the 2007 Draft by the Panthers. He is a three-time Pro Bowler. The Trojans’ left tackle protected Matt Barkley during two seasons marred by NCAA sanctions. Still, Kalil was an All-American and Morris Trophy winner as the league’s best offensive lineman and became the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Kalil, who was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, may have never gotten the acclaim he deserved as the Trojans were playing under heavy sanctions during his time in Los Angeles. 7. Matt Kalil, USC (2009-11) Rogers was a three-year starter for the Trojans as they rose from middle-of-the-pack Pac-10 team to national champion. He earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors for back-to-back conference championship teams and helped USC win a share of the national title in 2003. That year, Rogers was a consensus All-American and won the Morris Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the league. He was a second-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. 10. Jacob Rogers, USC (2000-03) Had Justice played during the unblemished 2004 BCS title season, he would likely be a top-10 blocker. However, a student conduct violation made him ineligible during that historic season. Otherwise, he was a starter on the 2002 Orange Bowl champions, the 2003 national champs and returned to the national title game and blocked for the Heisman winner in 2005. 13. Winston Justice, USC (2002-05) Playing for the Trojans before Pete Carroll’s run of greatness began, Claridge proved to be one of the most consistent players to ever suit up. He started 48 games for USC, was a second-round pick in 2000 and won the Morris Trophy as the league’s top blocker in 1999. 17. Travis Claridge, USC (1996-99) He only played one season for the Trojans but he was excellent. Lutui was a consensus All-American, blocked for a Heisman Trophy winner and played for the national title against Texas in 2005. He was a second-round pick in 2006. 18. Deuce Lutui, USC (2005) Brown sat behind Sam Baker for two years before taking over for the star left tackle. He earned All-Pac-10 honors in both seasons that he started and helped lead USC  to 43 wins and three conference titles during his time. He won the Morris Trophy as the league’s top blocker in 2009. 19. Charles Brown, USC (2006-09)"