The offensive line may be one of Florida’s most experienced position groups, but it’s certainly not one the team feels that it can rely on. In fact, it may be the biggest weakness on the entire roster (it certainly is on the offensive side of the ball).
Florida’s pass protection was solid in 2020, allowing quarterback Kyle Trask to have a record-setting season through the air. But its run blocking was abysmal, and that’s cause for concern heading into 2021. Likely new starter Emory Jones is a different player than Trask with a very different skillset.
Mobility is a much bigger part of his game, and making use of that will be predicated on the success of the option. But if Florida’s going to be a much more run-heavy team than it’s been the last two years under Dan Mullen, the offensive line will have to take a step up.
Three starters on the offensive line return, but the two most consistent players from last season — center Brett Heggie and left tackle Stone Forsythe — are now gone. Florida returns Richard Gouraige, Jean Delance and Stewart Reese, but based on reports from fall camp, it could be looking to shake things up in the starting lineup.
Kingsley Eguakun is reportedly seeing a lot of action at center, and there seems to be a widely held belief that he could win the starting job there. The Jacksonville native enters his redshirt sophomore season having appeared in 14 career games, including every game last season.
Mullen praised Eguakun’s work ethic, according to 247Sports’ Thomas Goldkamp.
“Kingsley’s really been a guy that’s embraced it,” Mullen said. “We rotate; in spring we rotate a lot of guys through because you’ve got to have depth at that position. The other positions you’ve got to block but there’s an extra skill involved with the snap at that position so you want to create depth. He’s a guy that really kind of jumped and embraced that role.”
According to Goldkamp, Reese, Ethan White and Richard Leonard all have seen action there, with the bulk of the reps in the spring being taken by Reese.
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That’s who many assumed would win the starting center job, but if Eguakun is good enough to start, it offers the team a lot more flexibility. Gouraige and White can retain their respective tackle and guard spots, while Reese could slide to guard. That would allow the Gators to play Josh Braun at tackle and potentially replace Delance, who has struggled and is generally considered to be the weakest link in the starting group.
But if White or Reese have to play center, Braun would then play guard. That would really leave Florida with no one else to play at right tackle other than Delance.
Eguakun’s strong fall camp is a positive sign for the Gators, and they’ll have a lot more freedom in determining their starting group if he’s capable of being a part of it.
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