Offensive linemen are football’s unsung heroes.
They play a pivotal role in the outcome of games but rarely receive any recognition. The better the linemen do their jobs, the easier it is for the quarterback, running backs and receivers to move the ball and attain the accolades.
The fact that offensive linemen get overlooked doesn’t bother University of Maine standout redshirt junior offensive tackle Anthony Iliano.
“The offensive line is the most selfless position on the field,” Iliano said. “You need to work as a group. There’s something special about all five guys working in cohesion to not only protect the quarterback and running backs, but to also enable them to make plays.
“I take great joy in seeing them make plays and in protecting them. It’s the greatest thing.”
Iliano was chosen as a second team All-Coastal Athletic Association lineman last fall, and he was picked to the All-CAA preseason team this summer, as well as a third team preseason All-American by two different organizations.
Iliano began last season as a guard but was moved to right tackle for the North Carolina A&T game, a 37-30 victory. He had played in 12 games two years ago primarily as a guard.
“What makes him the player he is is his constant drive towards being great,” UMaine offensive line coach and run game coordinator James O’Hagan said. “He is not only one of our better players, he works as hard as anyone on our roster. He does a great job pushing himself to his limit. Another thing that makes him special is [that] he brings the other guys along, too.
“He is an extremely selfless player who is team-centric.”
UMaine offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mikahael Waters said Iliano means “as much as anyone could mean to a team.”
“He has developed into not only a phenomenal player but also a phenomenal leader and person,” Waters said. “At right tackle, he’s one of the best in the league. He has the ability to play all five [offensive line positions].”
Iliano said accolades are great, but “all I want to do is go out and win with this team.”
He is a firm believer in hard work, saying: “What you put in is what you get out of it. You can’t do the bare minimum and expect success.”
He spends a lot of time with O’Hagan, working out with the team, training on his own and watching film in preparation for an upcoming opponent.
“The offensive line is such a technical position that you need to hone in on your craft and your technique. You need to be prepared. You need to know what [the opponent] is bringing and what type of defensive linemen they have,” Iliano said. “Watching film is so huge. It gets overlooked at how truly important it is.”
O’Hagan said Iliano is an “extremely athletic” player, as well as a technical and physical lineman.
“Any time we ask him for a physical style of block, he does a phenomenal job getting the job done,” O’Hagan said. “We ask him to do a lot. He does everything we ask. He is an extremely well-rounded football player who can pass protect and run block.”
O’Hagan feels Iliano has a future as a pro.
UMaine head coach Jordan Stevens said he has been around a lot of top-notch offensive linemen between his time as an assistant at Yale and as the head coach at UMaine, and Iliano is among the best.
“His athleticism stands out. He is constantly playing in the second level,” Stevens said, referring to Iliano finishing his block at the line of scrimmage and then seeking out another block in the next level of the field. “He is a consistent pass blocker, and he is a leader who is constantly working to lift guys up. He is everyone’s biggest fan.”
Iliano, a Cleveland native, is from a football family. His father, also named Anthony but is known as Tony, was a standout high school running back who went on to play college football.
“He is the one who introduced me to football. He was a high school football coach who brought me to practices,” Anthony Iliano said.
Iliano wound up at UMaine after he got tired of waiting to hear back from Football Bowl Subdivision teams from the Mid-American Conference. UMaine is in the Football Championship Subdivision, which has fewer scholarships and financial resources than FBS schools.
“I had offers from other FCS schools, but Maine was the only one in the CAA [Coastal Athletic Association], and I wanted to go to where the best competition was,” the 6-foot-3, 320-pound Iliano said. “And I felt there was a genuine brotherhood among the players at Maine and that the coaches really wanted and appreciated me.
“It was the greatest decision I’ve ever made. I’ve had the four best years of my life. I’m ready to have a great season.”
Orono is much different than Cleveland, but Iliano likes the peaceful atmosphere in Maine and the fact you don’t have the distractions you would have at a city-based university.
“You can focus on football and school. It’s very easy to be locked in on your craft and what you want to accomplish,” said Iliano, who took pride in the fact he and his linemates allowed only 18 sacks in 12 games a year ago.
“And we want fewer sacks this year,” said Iliano, who was on the CAA Academic honor roll and started all 12 games in 2025.
Moving from guard to tackle has been an adjustment. He was facing bigger guys in the interior when he was a guard and when he also took some snaps at center.
“You’re working in more space at tackle against smaller, quicker guys,” said Iliano, who has been focusing on his pass protection technique.
“I want to make sure the quarterback feels safe and I’m in cohesion with the guards and center and getting some great pass protection,” he said.
“He gets better every day at something or helps someone else get better. And he has made me a better coach by asking me questions. You can learn a lot from your players,” O’Hagan said.
The offensive line will be one of the strengths of the team.
“We have five guys back who have started and played a legitimate amount of football,” Iliano said. “The room is super close. Most of us have been here three or four years, and we have a bond. We’re all having fun together every day. We attack it. We have a sense of maturity in the room, so it’s easier to hold everyone accountable. We’ve all been here so long so we know what it takes.”
He said he is more stoked about this season than any of his previous campaigns at UMaine.
“I’m not just saying that because I’m an older guy now but I truly am excited about what we can accomplish this year,” said Iliano, who will have a first-year starter at quarterback.
“But I have 100% confidence in whoever ends up winning the battle. They attack every day, they are leaders in their own way. The way I’ve seen them pushing each other, whoever comes out on top is more than ready to attack the season.”
UMaine opens at Towson at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27.