Florida football’s starting center sustains a lower-body injury

Hopefully it is as minor as it sounds, but you never want your starting center to miss out on reps.

Florida football’s redshirt junior center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury he sustained in practice on Wednesday, All Gators’ Zach Goodall reports. It is unclear the exact nature of the injury but given his current status, the issue is very unlikely to prevent him from starting at his position to open the season.

The fifth-year offensive lineman was named to the Rimington Trophy Watchlist at the beginning of the month. The Rimington Trophy is given to the most outstanding college football center, with just one Gator earning the prestigious award: Maurkice Pouncey in 2009.

The Jacksonville, Florida, native has never allowed a sack in 40 games played and has only allowed three quarterback hits in his 26 straight starts at center since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, according to PFF. Eguakun leads the current team in total career offensive snaps with 1,747 and is expected to be the cornerstone of a revamped O-line in the Swamp this season.

The Gators opened camp Sunday, July 30, and the team held its first practice of the 2023 season on Monday, July 31. Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.

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