PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — With offenses such as the Wishbone and Power-I long being replaced by newer models like the Spread and Pistol, an evolution of sorts has taken place in college football.

A gradual transformation has occurred even in the past 10 years to the prototypical offensive lineman. Instead of gearing toward bulldozing run blockers quick on their feet, many teams are opting for size and measurables in hopes of finding elite pass blockers.

At the Plattsmouth lineman camp on Saturday, former Nebraska offensive line coaches Dan Young and Milt Tenopir talked about how changing offensive schemes have altered the face of the collegiate offensive lineman.

According to Young, teams are putting too much importance on players' size and not enough on quickness and agility. Young pointed to the 32 linemen on the rosters of the 1994 national championship team, which weighed an average of less than 260 pounds.

In comparison, all of Nebraska's 14 offensive linemen heading into this season are tipping the scales at an average of more than 305 pounds.

"I don't get to watch film of high school linemen like I used to watch, but just watching some film, the players are a little overweight and it seems like the goal is just to see how many pounds you can put on," Young said. "We always wanted kids that were athletic and that could run, and weight didn't matter as much. Explosiveness comes from quickness, and things like quick feet and quick hands were more important than being just a fat blob that can't move anybody off the ball."

Tenopir said the biggest reason for the premium put on bigger lineman has been the evolution of passing offenses. Whereas teams generally based their offenses around power and option running games back in the mid-'90s, teams today often focus their entire offensive schemes around the pass and mix in the run.

Even Nebraska falls into the trend, as former coach Bill Callahan's West Coast offense put more of an emphasis on the passing game than ever before. Under new coach Bo Pelini and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson – who ran the offense last season under Callahan – that style will continue to hold true.

"They're a whole different breed than from when I coached," Tenopir said. "With our guys, you had a group that was quick on their feet and went out looking to hit people. Now teams want bigger guys who can sit back and protect the quarterback. Teams are utilizing different talent sets than what we used."

Young added that when he was at Nebraska, the staff always recruited players that fit the Cornhuskers' system, rather than get caught up in pure size.

"The players that we took were the players that we really felt good about on film that could run our kind of offense, that played hard and who were athletes" Young said. "We tried to recruit athletes versus big fat kids that couldn't move."

The rapid growth in size isn't just a linemen phenomenon either. With some quarterbacks today weighing in as big as offensive guards 10 years ago, the need for bigger linemen has simply been a natural progression.

In the end, though, it doesn't matter how big a lineman is. As Tenopir put it, players still have to know how to block.

"No matter how you look at it, it still all comes down to blocking and tackling," Tenopir said. "You can have the biggest guy on the field, but it won't mean anything if he can't block anybody."