According to the latest depth chart issued by Air Force football, these are the five linemen expected to open the season at 11 a.m. Saturday vs. Duquesne.

BRANDON NAZWORTH

Left tackle, 6-3, 290, jr., Folsom, Calif.

Brandon Nazworth didn’t come to Air Force alone.

The Folsom, Calif., native brought a childhood friend and about 20 extra pounds.

 A high school lacrosse player, Nazworth weighed 220 pounds as a sophomore. He gradually added about 60 pounds in high school. Following advice, he then shot up to around 300 pounds before reporting for basic training.

“One of the things they say in the O-line room is you’ve got to fatten up,” he said. “So I was eating ice cream, getting kind of fat. Because you’re going to lose a lot of weight during basic training.”

Sure enough, he shed 30 pounds. But he didn’t lose the friend.

Matt Long, projected to start at slot receiver, often lining up just inches from Nazworth in Air Force’s offense, was his teammate from the lowest levels of junior football.

“We have been together through this whole ride,” Nazworth said. “It’s really surreal to think about, you know? We’ve been together forever and just the ability to be able to grow together and get to this next spot together, it’s really cool.”

ALEC FALK

Left guard, 6-3, 315, sr., Monument

Save for a few road games, Alec Falk’s football journey has taken place entirely within about a 15-mile corridor off Interstate 25 north of Colorado Springs.

He played at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, then at the Air Force Preparatory Academy and now enters his final year at the Air Force Academy.

“I have a lot of pride being from here and representing the community,” said Falk, who missed time at the end of the 2025 season with a neck injury and was limited in spring ball with that and knee issues.

Falk will finally venture out next year. All the way to southeast Colorado Springs as a member of the Space Force at Peterson Air Force Base.

“A lot of jokes have been made about that, that I’m not leaving,” Falk said.

Falk knew what he was signing up for as the son of a former Falcon football player. And while there have been the expected ups and downs, and the wins have been harder to come by than expected, he’s now in position to finish his career as a three-year starter.

“Couldn’t have asked for a better situation,” Falk said. “Playing as a sophomore was my dream.”

RUDY VARELA

Center, 6-3, 295, sr., Gilbert, Ariz.

For the past three years, Rudy Varela has played behind a series of All-Mountain West honorees.

There was Thor Paglialong, then Jack Burnett. Last year it was Costen Cooley playing center to acclaim for all 12 games and Varela backing him up.

“I had some great mentors, and it’s definitely a lot of pressure (to fill those shoes),” he said. “I’m excited to accept that challenge. It was learning from those guys, I think, that really prepared me for this moment and I’m excited to go get it.”

Varela hopes to play this season at about 305 pounds, which would be about 20 pounds heavier than Cooley at the same position for the Falcons last season.

“I feel like I bring a lot of power, a lot of power and just knowledge from sitting behind those guys,” Varela said. “They’ve taught me what to do, what not to do. I’m really excited to bring that to the offensive line.”

TJ TARASCIO

Right guard, 6-3, 310, sr., Riverside, Calif.

TJ Tarascio joined his high school wrestling team as a sophomore as a way to improve as a football player.

He didn’t know that would lead to the state podium.

“I kind of peaked at the right time,” Tarascio said.

Tarascio recorded 33 wins — 24 pins — as a senior and placed fifth in the 285-pound division at the CIF California State Wrestling Championships. To give an idea of the quality of the field, the top three finishers are all wrestling in college and the No. 4 finisher is a 6-foot-7, 300-pound collegiate offensive lineman.

Adding the sport to his portfolio helped Tarascio twice earn John W. North Athlete of the Year honors (to go with a 4.34 GPA and his school’s scholar-athlete award).

Despite his success, wrestling never made him second-guess his future in football.

“If the opportunity was there, I don’t think I would have thought about that much,” he said. “I always wanted to play football.”

LUKE VONDERHAAR

Right tackle, 6-4, 285, sr., Bettendorf, Iowa

Luke Vonderhaar has always enjoyed the outdoors and has dived headlong into all that Colorado has to offer in that realm.

“Pretty much every free weekend we get, a lot of the guys in the team like to go fly-fishing,” said Vonderhaar, who has caught rainbow and a rare cutthroat trout.

“I’m from Iowa, so fly-fishing was never really on my radar,” he said.

There’s ground near Salida owned by former teammate Jackson Adams’ family that he hits regularly.

Vonderhaar has hunted turkey, duck and is hoping to add elk to that list this year.

Coach Troy Calhoun said there’s something endearing about offensive linemen who are at home in the rugged outdoors.

“It’s something I like to ask guys in recruiting, if they have an interest in that regard,” Calhoun said. “For some guys it’s skiing and snowboarding, others it’s hiking and some, fishing. There’s a really awesome place to live if that interests you, and it’s called right by the Rocky Mountains.”