Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson – Syndication Server

Florida football OL to participate in 100th East-West Shrine Bowl

Gators OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson has been invited to the 100th East-West Shrine Bowl this January.

Florida football redshirt senior offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson has officially accepted an invitation to participate in the 100th annual East-West Shrine Bowl.

The announcement came via the Shrine Bowl’s social media page earlier on Wednesday.

Crenshaw-Dickson, a key figure in the Gators’ offensive line, appeared in all 12 games this season. He logged 685 offensive snaps at right tackle and according to Pro Football Focus, had a pass block grade of 81.1 and an offensive grade of 71.6.

The 6x-foot-7-inch, 322-pound offensive lineman also led the Gators in highest PFF offensive grade twice as well as not allowing a sack individually.

His performance this season has not only solidified his reputation as a top-tier protector but also caught the eyes of NFL scouts and analysts.

The Shrine Bowl

The Shrine Bowl, set to be held in January, offers college football’s finest a platform to display their talents in front of a national audience and numerous NFL scouts. The event also supports Shriners Hospitals for Children.

NFL players and legends that have competed in the Shrine Bowl include Tom Brady, Walter Payton, John Elway, Brock Purdy and Zay Flowers.

For many, the Shrine Bowl is a stepping stone to the NFL, and for Crenshaw-Dickson, it represents a chance to further enhance his draft stock and continue the tradition of Gators making the leap to professional ranks.

The 100th playing of the East-West Shrine Bowl will take place on Thursday, Jan. 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. eastern and will be broadcast on NFL Network.

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Breaking down PFF grades for Florida’s run game against Kentucky

Jadan Baugh ran for five touchdowns in Florida’s win over Kentucky, but what does Pro Football Focus have to say about the Gators run game?

Florida’s big win over Kentucky last weekend was dominant in every way, but it’s the run game that is responsible for all five touchdowns scored by the offense.

True freshmen [autotag]Jadan Baugh[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] can both run well, which is one of the main reasons Kentucky’s typically stout defense struggled so much. Lagway could run the option at will after establishing the long ball, and the Wildcats didn’t have enough guys in the box to stop it.

The future of the program seems to be in the hands of these two young men, but let’s not forget about the run blockers. Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about Florida’s run game on Saturday.

A refresher course on PFF grades can be found at the bottom of this article.

Ball Carriers

Player	Total Snaps	Carries	Offense	Run	Fumble	Run Blocking	YDS	TD	Missed Tackles Forced
Jadan Baugh	37	22	78.6	77.3	77.4	60.0	106	5	2
Ja’Kobi Jackson	17	9	60.9	62.2	72.5	60.0	44	0	1
Cameron Carroll	4	3	52.3	53.9	67.3	—	1	0	0
DJ Lagway (QB)	53	7	83.5	68.9	69.1	60.0	57	0	1

True freshman [autotag]Jadan Baugh[/autotag] stole the show in DJ Lagway’s first SEC start, tying a school record with five touchdowns on the evening. Big throws from Lagway set up several of those scores, but crossing the goalline five times in one night is still an impressive feat.

Baugh earned the top run and fumble grades on the night and finished fifth overall on offense. If you’re wondering why Baugh didn’t finish with a higher grade, a higher elusiveness rating (20.7) might be the culprit. He forced a pair of missed tackles and broke three rushes for 10 or more yards, though.

Baugh performed well running to all sides of the field, but he put up the bulk of his yards hitting the gap between the center and right guard. On four carries to the middle-right, Baugh went for 53 yards, including a chunker for 27 and 18 yards after contact.

The right side (off the right tackle and right end) is a bit of a weak spot. Baugh only gained 13 yards on nine carries to that side of the field. However, three of his touchdowns came between those two gaps.

[autotag]Ja’Kobi Jackson[/autotag] acted as Florida’s No. 2 and his downhill running paid off to the tune of 44 yards on nine carries. However, both his overall and run grades came up short of the 65.0 threshold we look for.

Jackson forced two missed tackles and had a long of 11 yards, but it’s his elusiveness rating (91.4) that stands out the most. That’s well above Baugh’s number despite being on the field for a limited time.

[autotag]Cam Carroll[/autotag] rounds out the running back room for Florida. Carroll suffered a season-ending injury in fall camp last year and never saw the field after transferring from Tulane. Billy Napier let him go out there for the final drive of the game and get three carries.

It doesn’t matter what his numbers were. Seeing Carroll back on the field is the kind of feel-good story you love to see in a blowout win.

Of course, [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] ran the ball a few times too, and Florida fans should expect to see him scramble far more often than Graham Mertz did as the starter. Lagway went for 57 yards on seven carries (8.1 yards per carry), and he finished the game with the second-best run grade of the bunch.

One forced missed tackle and a 25-yard gain are the highlights, but remember that Lagway has to play it safe with little depth behind him.

Run Blocking

Twenty-four of the 25 offensive players for Florida earned a run-blocking grade, so we’ll stick to the offensive linemen and tight ends on the chart below. If a wide receiver had an exceptional day blocking, it will be noted in the final portion of this section.

Player	Total Snaps	Run Snaps	Run Blocking Snaps	Offense	Run Blocking	Zone	Gap
Austin Barber	53	33	33	65.1	58.4	59.2	58.1
Jake Slaughter	53	33	33	75.8	70.5	69.8	64.9
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson	53	33	33	61.3	56.3	56.4	58.0
Hayden Hansen (TE)	44	29	29	65.5	70.4	68.1	67.7
Knijeah Harris	39	23	23	50.7	49.6	52.4	52.5
Arlis Boardingham (TE)	32	22	22	54.4	57.9	53.1	65.5
Damieon George Jr.	35	20	20	59.8	57.3	67.0	48.8
Bryce Lovett	25	19	19	63.0	60.7	57.2	65.1
Kamryn Waites	19	14	14	64.4	62.9	64.4	59.1
Caden Jones	5	4	4	52.2	53.1	60.0	53.3
Christian Williams	5	4	4	48.5	59.0	59.9	59.5
Hayden Clem	5	4	4	65.1	65.9	63.7	60.1
Scott Isacks III (TE)	5	4	4	57.2	57.8	59.0	58.8

Left Tackle

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] held down the left tackle position for most of the game, but he didn’t put up great numbers as a run blocker. A strong pass-blocking performance helped balance out his overall grade, which is typical of Barber through eight weeks. The highest run-blocking grade he’s posted this season is just above 70.0 and most are in the low-60s.

There’s no great cause for concern here, but it should be noted that Barber has come up short of the 60.0 threshold two weeks in a row. He’s also been a bit hobbled, so the bye week should do him good.

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] both fell short of the 65.0 threshold we look for, but Harris’ sub-50 mark is concerning. He’s finished with a run-blocking grade below 60 several times this year, but this is his first time dipping below 50.

Waites has been far more consistent, and it might be time to make him the starter there.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] is better at pass blocking than run blocking, but he still put a respectable grade this week. He’s one of four Gators to finish with a run-blocking grade above 70.0 this week, and it’s the first time he’s crossed that threshold since the Samford game.

Hayden Clem got the final drive of the game at center and also had some solid numbers. Slaughter should be headed to the NFL this offseason. Perhaps Clem is a viable option to replace him. We still need to see him play more, though.

Right Guard

[autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] share snaps at right guard, and it’s for a good reason. George is better on zone runs, and Lovett is better on gap runs. It’s impossible to switch them out at will, but Baugh did well running up the middle-right, so there’s no reason to fix something that isn’t broken. Neither reached our 65.0 threshold, though.

Christian Williams got the final drive of the game and put up average numbers. Remember, 60.0 is sort of a baseline for these graders, and Williams was within 1.0 of that figure on just four plays.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] has been solid since taking over at right tackle, but a sub-60 run-blocking grade isn’t much to write home about. Florida struggled to get anything going to that side of the line, so it makes sense to see his numbers take a dip.

Caden Jones got the final drive of the game at right tackle. He performed at a replacement level, but it was only for four plays.

Tight Ends

[autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] didn’t do much in the passing game, but he was a strong run blocker for Florida on Saturday. He’s one of those four players to finish with a run-blocking grade above 70, which helped on some of those goallines rushes for touchdowns to the right side.

[autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] didn’t have as good of a day, but it should be noted that he cleared the 65.0 threshold on gap runs. He’s more of a pass-catching tight end, so it’s good to see him finish strong in at least one blocking grade.

Scott Isacks III played the final drive of the game, similar to the backup linemen, but it was another sub-60 performance in limited action.

Wide Receivers

The two highest run-blocking grades on the team came from receivers.

Aidan Mizell, a speedster, led the way with a 79.5 over eight plays as a blocker, and Chimere Dike trails him closely with a 77.2 over 19 snaps. Neither had standout performances as receivers, so it’s a positive to see them impacting the game in other ways.

Understanding PFF grades

The grading scale ranges from minus-2 to plus-2 with increments of 0.5, and players are given a grade on every play they are on the field for. A zero grade means a player did his job, while the two ends of the scale represent extreme success or failure — think red zone interception at the end of a game or a game-winning touchdown pass when applying it to quarterbacks.

There’s a level of subjectivity to it, but each grade is reviewed at least once. Once all plus-minus grades are in, the numbers are converted to a 0-100 scale to easily compare players. There are some loosely defined tiers within the system — 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl level for NFL players, 70 to 84 is a starter and 60-69 is a backup. Anything 59 and below is considered a replaceable talent.

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

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Breaking down PFF grades for Florida’s passing game against Kentucky

DJ Lagway looked comfortable in his first SEC start, and Pro Football Focus’ passing grades for Florida in Week 8 seem to back that up.

The dawn of the [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] era at Florida provided an impressive offensive performance all-around, and the Gators looked like a completely different team passing the ball.

Lagway can take deep shots, and his receivers are stretching things out down the field because of it. Putting up 48 points is bound to result in some good grades, and only a handful of players on offense struggled, according to Pro Football Focus.

Let’s take a look at the three main components of Florida’s passing game against Kentucky in Week 8 — passing, receiving and pass blocking.

A refresher course on PFF grades can be found at the bottom of this article.

Quarterbacks

Player	Total Snaps	Dropbacks	Offense	Passing	Run	Fumble	YDS	TD	INT
DJ Lagway	53	20	84.4	76.8	74.6	69.1	259	0	1
Aidan Warner	5	1	87.8	85.9	—	60.3	20	0	0

Lagway completed seven of 14 passes, six of which went for gains of 20 yards or more. His big throw ability was on display all night, with PFF giving him three big-time throws on the night.

He was the fourth-highest-graded offensive player for Florida against Kentucky and lands in the same spot on passing plays. Lagway shined in a clean pocket (89.9) and on plays without where Kentucky did not send a blitzer (88.7), but he struggled when under pressure (58.6) and against the blitz (62.6).

Lagway didn’t attempt a screen pass all night and was steady across the board regardless of play action.

As expected, he was best on deep balls (93.2) and mediocre in the intermediate range between 10-19 yards (64.9). Lagway was even worse on short throws inside the 10 (44.8), but that’s not his game.

[autotag]Aidan Warner[/autotag] only drop backed once but he made a big-time throw for 20 yards to earn some pretty impressive grades. In fact, he was the highest-graded offensive player for Florida on passing plays this week. The small sample size here is going to skew things, but it was a heck of a play.

Receivers

Player	Total Snaps	Targets/Catches	Offense	Receiving	Drop	Fumble	YDS	TD
Elijhah Bader	41	3/3	85.6	85.9	73.1	65.4	148	0
Eugene Wilson III	40	2/1	64.3	64.5	66.7	61.0	40	0
Chimere Dike	36	5/2	78.0	75.0	70.7	70.1	67	0
Ja’Quavion Fraziars	15	2/0	55.8	55.6	—	—	0	0
Taylor Spierto	6	1/1	90.5	85.2	66.7	61.0	20	0
Arlis Boardingham (TE)	32	1/1	54.4	54.0	66.7	61.0	4	0

Slot Receiver

[autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] split time out wide (22 snaps) and in the slot (18) but only received two targets on the night. The low total has to do with the chunk plays by the offense to some degree, but Lagway favored the other top receiver more this week, perhaps due to the matchups in coverage.

Wilson’s grades were very middle-of-the-pack against Kentucky, but a nice 40-yard play saved him from a poor performance. He’s just below that 65.0 threshold we look for in these PFF grade reviews.

Behind Wilson in the slot was Taylor Spierto, who hauled in that 20-yard pass from Warner at the end of the game. His play earned him the top offensive grade on the team, but the same small-sample-size caveat we gave Warner applies here.

[autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] also played nine snaps this week, but he wasn’t targeted at all and only played one passing down. The true freshman should be a weapon down the road for Florida and Lagway, but this wasn’t a big week for him in any way — 67.5 overall, 59.9 on passing plays.

Right Wide Receiver

[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] had the best day of any Florida receiver catching all three of his deep-ball targets for nearly 150 yards. Badger has always had big-play ability, but Lagway’s cannon for an arm opens up the playbook to call those shots a bit more often.

His overall grade is the best of any regular on the Gators offense this week, and had the top receiving grade as well.

Behind Badger was Ja’Quavion Fraziars, who failed to bring in either of the two targets sent his way. They weren’t drops, so his grade is still around 55, but that’s still well into replacement-level play. Fraziars missed the first five weeks of the season and only played on special teams in Week 7. Let’s give him some time to ramp up.

Left Wide Receiver

[autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag] was Lagway’s favorite target this week, but he only reeled in two of five passes that came his way. His drop grade suggests that Lagway was simply off target when throwing to him, and he finished with respectable overall and passing grades. He ranked sixth overall on the offensive and fifth on passing plays.

Dike is still getting intermediate passes, which isn’t Lagway’s strong point, but at least he’s not running screens and drags all night anymore. He lines up both out wide and in the slot, so there’s a lot of versatility in his game, similar to Wilson.

Pass Blocking

Player	Total Snaps	Passing Snaps	Pass Blocking Snaps	Offense	Pass Blocking	True Pass Set Blocking	Sacks Allowed	Hurries	Pressures
Austin Barber	53	20	20	65.1	77.8	80.4	0	1	1
Jake Slaughter	53	20	20	75.8	82.3	78.4	0	0	0
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson	53	20	20	61.3	80.1	68.7	0	1	1
Knijeah Harris	39	16	16	50.7	51.1	78.5	0	0	0
Damieon George Jr.	35	15	15	59.8	73.5	58.4	0	0	0
Hayden Hansen (TE)	44	15	7	65.5	64.5	68.7	0	1	1
Jadan Baugh (RB)	37	13	6	78.6	78.8	72.7	0	0	0
Arlis Boardingham (TE)	32	10	1	54.4	66.8	—	0	0	0
Ja’Kobi Jackson (RB)	17	7	3	60.9	46.7	26.4	0	1	1
Bryce Lovett	25	6	6	63.0	81.7	78.9	0	0	0
Kamryn Waites	5	5	5	64.4	78.2	78.0	0	0	0
Caden Jones	5	1	1	52.2	29.8	29.8	0	1	1
Christian Williams	5	1	1	48.5	72.0	72.0	0	0	0
Hayden Clem	5	1	1	65.1	71.2	71.2	0	0	0

Left Tackle

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] is one of three anchors on this offensive line and he was the highest-graded regular while pass blocking this week. He allowed one quarterback hurry which hurts his true-pass-set blocking grade, but not enough to move him below an 80 grade as a pass blocker.

On the final drive, tight ends [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] split left-tackle duties, so we’ll talk about them here even though the pass blocked throughout the game.

Hansen is usually the better blocker of the two, but Boardingham finished above the 65.0 threshold this week. Neither was outstanding, but Hansen was solid on true-pass sets, while Boardingham was called to block less often. Hansen allowed one pressure, which explains the dip.

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and Kamryn Waites split left guard duties this week, with the backup outperforming the starter on passing plays. Harris was just as good on true-pass sets, but he allowed the lone quarterback hit on the evening, which hurt him badly.

Center

The second of three anchors, [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] was Florida’s best pass blocker this week and one of two offensive linemen to crack the top 10 on the team, in terms of overall grades. Slaughter played a clean game with over 20 passing snaps.

Hayden Clem got his first reps on the offensive line this week, seeing the field for five plays overall and one passing play. He was the other top-10 offensive player.

Right Guard

[autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. and Bryce Lovett split time at right guard, with the former playing the bulk on passing downs. However, Lovett earned the second-highest pass-blocking grade on the team over six plays. Both played a clean game, allowing zero pressures.

Christian Williams got in at right guard on the last drive and earned a solid grade on his one pass-blocking play.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] is our final anchor on the offensive line, and he put together another solid performance despite allowing one hurry/pressure. He’s been consistent at right tackle for Florida since taking over the starting job in Week 2. One blemish doesn’t hurt is reputation at all.

Caden Jones played the final drive at right tackle for Florida, but it wasn’t a great game for him. He allowed one hurry/pressure on the lone pass-blocking play he was on the field. playing with a four-touchdown lead is the right time to go through a learning moment, though.

Running Backs

Running backs get pass-blocking grades, too, and contrary to popular belief it matters a lot. Starter Jadan Baugh put together a solid night, earning the fourth-highest pass-blocking grade on the team over six plays.

Ja’Kobi Jackson didn’t have has good of a night, finishing just above Jones thanks to a hurry/pressure.

Understanding PFF grades

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Breaking down PFF grades for Florida’s run game against UCF

Florida’s running game didn’t light it up against UCF, but PFF still believes this was the Gators’ best rushing performance since Week 2 vs. Samford.

Florida’s run game against UCF was far from perfect, but Pro Football Focus gave the Gators their highest run grade (68.1) since facing Samford (69.3) in Week 2.

Coming into the season, the rushing attack was thought to be Florida’s biggest strength, but the loss of Trevor Etienne has proved costly for the Orange and Blue. We can’t forget that lead back Montrell Johnson Jr. underwent minor knee surgery during fall camp.

It was a good bounce-back week for Johnson and the guys behind him following the bye. Let’s take a look at what Pro Football Focus had to say about the running backs and offensive line in Week 6.

Check out our breakdown of Florida’s passing game against UCF using PFF grades, too.

Running backs

Florida utilized a trio of running backs this week — [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. started the game and played 40 snaps, followed by true freshman [autotag]Jadan Baugh[/autotag] with 21 snaps and JUCO transfer [autotag]Ja’Kobi Jackson[/autotag] rounds out the list with six snaps.

The carries were split a bit differently, with Johnson getting 10 attempts, Baugh getting nine and Jackson getting three.

Johnson ran for 54 yards (5.4 per attempt) and a touchdown, earning a 69.6 overall grade and a 68.7 grade on run plays. Although neither of those figures led the rushing corps, Johnson was the most sure-handed rusher for Florida with a 73.4 fumble grade.

What’s most impressive about Johnson’s performance is that he gained 45 of his 54 yards after contact, forcing three missed tackles and breaking off a long run for 34 yards. However, any smart football fan will quickly point out that the bulk run saved him from an otherwise unseemly outing.

Johnson tried hitting all the holes, but he did most of his damage in the gap between the center and right guard.

Baugh put up the highest overall grade (73.5) and run grade (73.4) in the position room, but he only managed 30 yards on nine carries (3.3 yards per attempt). However, it’s the six forced missed tackles that stand out when going over his numbers. Baugh is proving to be an elusive back for Florida and could be the No. 1 instead of Treyaun Webb next season.

He likes going up the middle, hitting the gap on either side of the center, but he was most effective of the left end against UCF.

Jackson doesn’t get a ton of opportunities, but he always seems to do a lot when he gets on the field. In Week 6, Jackson ran for 25 yards on three carries (8.3 yards per attempt), and he scored a touchdown.

A chunk play for 19 yards accounts for the bulk of Jackson’s yards, but it’s still impressive to see him break those kinds of plays when he knows he’s only getting a handful of opportunities each game. Jackson earned a 65.2 overall grade and a 64.8 rushing grade this week.

Wide receiver Tank Hawkins also got a run in this week, going for four yards and earning a 57.9 run grade.

Quarterbacks

Florida’s quarterbacks tend to run a few times a game, be it a scramble or a designed run. Those designed runs usually go to DJ Lagway, but Graham Mertz had six carries this week, and only two of them were on scrambles.

Mertz ran for six yards on as many attempts, and Lagway went for 11 yards on three carries. Neither put up a strong run grade — 56.6 for Mertz and 53.3 for Lagway.

Mertz made the most of his scrambles, going for seven yards on two carries, but his keepers didn’t go as well — minus-5 yards over three carries. Mertz needs to make the right decision on those option plays a bit more often, based on these numbers.

Lagway is best when he scrambles (five yards on one carry) but his designed runs yield positive results as well (six yards on two carries). Keeping the true freshman healthy is paramount this season. Expect Lagway to run a bit more often when he’s fully in control of the offense next year.

Run Blocking

As usual, Gators Wire will discuss the offensive line from left to right. Remember, this analysis is mostly focused on run plays; however, we will provide overall grades as well to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Left Tackle

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] delivered his best run-blocking performance of the year against UCF, posting a 70.8 grade over all 29 run plays Florida ran. Barber was more effective on gap runs (74.1) compared to zone runs (63.3).

The Gators never hit the left tackle in Week 6, but Barber was surely a factor on the five plays that went all the way out to the left end (beyond the tight end). Not coincidentally, Florida’s highest average came off the left end (7.4 yards per attempt).

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] got the start for Florida at left guard, with Bryce Lovett as his backup.

Harris was excellent against the pass rush this week (85.1), but he struggled a bit more on run plays (63.2). He posted the lowest run-blocking grade among the five starters, but there’s a reason he stays out there. Harris was solid on zone runs (68.8) but struggled on gap plays (54.1).

Lovett only saw the field for seven run plays, and his numbers were terrible. A 43.8 run-blocking grade is almost half the 81.1 pass-blocking grade he put up, which explains why Harris is getting 30 more snaps a game. It also provides an explanation for Lovett’s brutal 48.7 overall grade on offense.

Florida rushers only hit the gap between the left tackle and left guard twice for one yard. The middle left gap (between the left guard and center) yielded better results (12 yards on four carries), but still isn’t the best option.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] earned a 66.0 run-blocking grade against UCF — 69.1 on gap runs and 61.1 on zone plays. He ranked fourth overall on the team this week and third among offensive linemen. It’s his second-worst performance of the year as a run blocker, but he’s still incredibly solid overall.

We already talked about Slaughter helping to make runs to the middle-left effective, but it’s on the right side where he made the bigger difference. Florida rushers ran for 54 yards on eight runs between Slaughter and the right guard. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Right Guard

[autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. didn’t have the best day as a pass-blocker, but he was solid on run plays at right guard for Florida. George took the majority of the run plays (22) in front of Kamryn Waites (7) and earned the higher run-blocking grade (65.3). George was better on zone plays (68.0) than gap plays (58.1).

Waites only saw the field for zone runs, posting a 62.5 run-blocking grade.

Despite some pedestrian grades from PFF, Florida’s right guard tandem deserves some credit for the 58 yards gained off the middle-right gap. However, Florida rushers gained zero yards on two attempts to the gap between the right guard and right tackle.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] was Florida’s best offensive lineman against UCF, earning team-high grades all-around — 85.4 as a pass blocker and 74.3 as a run blocker. His 75.1 overall grade is second only to Graham Mertz throughout the entire offense.

Crenshaw-Dickson posted strong grades on both zone plays (72.5) and gap plays (67.5). Florida rushers ran off the right tackle just three times for eight yards, but that could be a weakside-strongside issue.

Tight Ends/Receivers

Florida runs a lot of two-tight-end sets, which means Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen are asked to block quite often. Neither performed well as run blockers, posting grades of 52.3 and 55.2, respectively.

Hansen was decent on zone runs (64.1), but that’s not a big enough silver lining to save him.

Receivers aren’t expected to do much as run blockers, but Chimere Dike deserves a shoutout for his 74.1 run-blocking grade against UCF. He led the team on zone plays (77.2) and finished second overall behind BCD.

Understanding PFF grades

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Analyzing PFF grades for Florida’s passing game against UCF

Florida’s passing game put up its best grades of the season against UCF in Week 6. Gators Wire takes a look at the numbers after the win.

Gators Wire returns (a bit later than usual in the week) with the post-game breakdown of Pro Football Focus grades.

Similar to the Mississippi State game, Florida’s offense thrived against UCF en route to a win. The passing game, in particular, was a strong point for the Gators, posting team grades of 85.5 on passing plays and 81.4 in the pass-blocking game.

The receivers didn’t perform as well as last week, dipping from 79.5 as a unit to 69.8, but there were still a few standout players to look at.

Quarterbacks

[autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] (81.6) and [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] (81.5) ranked 23rd and 24th, respectively, among FBS quarterbacks in Week 6 using PFF’s passing grade; however, Mertz once again received the lion’s share of the offensive snaps for Florida, outpacing Lagway in dropbacks, 25-6.

Mertz led all Gators on offense with a 78.1 overall grade, which differs from PFF’s passing grades, while Lagway was seventh out of 21 players with a 70.7 overall.

Each quarterback had one big-time throw, which PFF defines as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.”

Mertz finished the day with 19 completions for 179 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts. Lagway went 4-for-5 for 50 yards.

The passing breakdown yields some surprising results for Mertz. He was better on medium (91.3) and deep passes (71.7) than he was on throws behind the line of scrimmage (65.9) and within nine yards (63.2). The primary criticism of Mertz coming into the season focused on his inability to throw downfield, but he’s starting to look good in the intermediate range.

Lagway is still the bigger threat beyond 20 yards, though. The true freshman completed his lone deep pass for 37 yards, leading to an 87.4 passing grade on deep throws.

Receivers

Slot

Slot receiver [autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag] continues to be the position room leader with Eugene Wilson III out. Dike led the receiving corps with an overall grade (of 74.8 and a receiving grade of 72.9. He caught four of his five targets for 88 yards, 22 of which came after the catch. With an average depth of target of 15.6 yards, Dike is a big reason why Mertz is thriving in the intermediate range.

Dike saw the field for 61 of 64 offensive snaps.

Right WR

Florida’s most targeted receiver in Week 6 was true freshman [autotag]Tank Hawkins[/autotag], and he reeled in seven of eight targets for 60 yards. Hawkins has stepped into Wilson’s role of collecting screen passes and running drag routes, and he’s done a nice job adding yards after the catch. More than 70% of his yards this week came after the catch. Hawkins’ overall grade (65.6) and receiving grade (66.3) took a slight hit because of a fumble.

Behind Hawkins were Taylor Spierto and Ja’Quavion Fraziars. Spierto hardly played, seeing the field for just one snap, and Fraziars’ use was also limited to 11 snaps. Hawkins is clearly the top option while Wilson is away, leading the way with 36 snaps.

Fraziars earned a 55.4 overall grade and a 55.8 receiving grade on just one failed target. Spierto earned a 58.3 and 59.6, respectively, in limited action.

Left WR

[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] is the primary receiver on the left side of Florida’s offense, and he earned a respectable 66.7 overall grade while finishing 0.2 points behind Hawkins with a 66.1 receiving grade.

Badger is the team’s deep threat, made evident by a 25-yard average depth of target. He hauled in three of four targets for 41 yards and a touchdown — the only passing touchdown of the day for Florida.

Marcus Burke saw six snaps (three passing plays) behind Badger, but he wasn’t targeted at all. Burke finished the day with a 57.1 overall grade and a 57.6 grade on passing plays.

Tight Ends

Florida deployed a trio of tight ends against UCF. [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] worked primarily on the right side (44 snaps) and [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] was on the left (41). Scott Isacks III saw the field for three snaps and didn’t factor into the passing game at all.

Hansen was the more effective tight end in the passing game, finishing Week 6 with an overall grade of 58.8 and receiving a grade of 66.3, while reeling in both his targets for 13 yards. However, Hansen struggled as a pass blocker (36.2), hurting his overall grade.

Boardingham saw just one target, catching it for three yards. He was much stronger as a pass blocker (69.0), albeit over two snaps to Hansen’s six. The rest of Boardingham’s grades — an overall of 50.7 and a receiving grade of 52.1 — were well under the replacement-level threshold.

Running backs

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. was the only running back targeted by Florida quarterbacks against UCF, but it led to six receptions in as many opportunities for 24 yards. He finished the day with the second-highest overall grade (69.6) and receiving grade (67.9). His pass blocking (76.0) was also strong over three snaps.

Pass Blocking

As usual, we will go over the offensive line from left to right. Remember, we’re looking at pass-blocking grades only here.

Left Tackle

At left tackle is [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], who played all 64 snaps (35 passing snaps) for Florida. He earned a 72.4 overall grade (fifth-highest) and 70.0 pass-blocking grade, which was the second-lowest figure of any Florida lineman this week. Not great for an anchor left tackle. Barber allowed one pressure all evening, but it led to a quarterback hit, which explains the low(ish) grade.

Left Guard

At left guard, [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and Bryce Lovett split the workload, 47 snaps to 17, respectively. Harris saw the field for 25 passing plays and Lovett came in for 10. Both were excellent against UCF’s paltry pass rush.

Harris finished the day with an 85.1 pass-blocking grade and Lovett earned an 81.1; however, both struggled overall with offensive grades of 62.1 and 48.7, respectively. Still, they were two of the team’s top four pass blockers in Week 6.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] plays every snap at center for Florida, and he’s one of the best pass-blocking linemen in the country. A 79.3 pass-blocking grade is solid, but it’s well below his 84.0 average this year. Similar to Barber, a pressure that led to a hit is the only blemish on his chart and likely the cause of the slight dip.

Right Guard

Starting right guard [autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. has the only ugly performance of any Florida lineman this week, posting a 47.1 pass-blocking grade. Only tight end Hayden Hansen finished with a lower grade. He’s responsible for three of the line’s five allowed quarterback pressures and is on the hook for all three of the team’s QB hurries.

There have been games where George was one of the strongest pass-blockers on the team, but he’s starting to trend down again. Poor pass blocking was a major reason Florida moved him into the interior over the offseason.

The good news is that [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] saw the field for 10 passing plays (to George’s 25) and put up a strong 81.1 grade as a pass blocker.

Right Tackle

[autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag] played all of Florida’s offensive snaps at right tackle, and he also led the team with an 85.4 pass-blocking grade. After starting the season with a 55.1 off the bench, Crenshaw-Dickson has consistently posted grades of 80-plus, falling short by 0.1 points just once (against Mississippi State).

Understanding PFF grades

Since we’re looking at college athletes with a system designed for the pros, we will consider anything above 65.0 as a solid performance.

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Florida Football 2024 Position Preview: Offensive Tackles

Let’s dive in to who the Gators have lined up at the offensive tackle position for this upcoming college football season.

Next on Gator Wire’s annual position preview series are the big guys that anchor the trenches and most importantly, protect the quarterback. That’s right. We’re taking a look at the offensive tackles.

Florida’s offensive tackles are arguably the most important players on the offensive side of the ball. They need to do their jobs if they want to have any success through the passing or ground game.

There are some familiar pieces for the Gators such as Austin Barber but also some new faces like Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson.

Nonetheless, this should be a better OT group for the Gators than last season.

Let’s take a look at what Florida has in store this season with their OTs. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.

Starting Left Tackle: No. 58 Austin Barber (R-Jr.)

Barber returns as a veteran anchoring this Florida Gators offensive line.

As he comes up on his fourth season with the Gators, Barber is hoping for a healthy 2024 year. Last season, the redshirt junior missed four games due to ankle and arm injuries. But even when he did play, it wasn’t as if he was fully healthy either.

The 6-feet-7-inches, 314-pound left tackle looks to make his presence known on Florida’s offensive line.

Left tackle is arguably the most important position on the offensive line because it protects quarterback Graham Mertz‘s blind side. Florida needs to have Barber healthy this season if they hope to have success protecting the quarterback.

Starting Right Tackle: No. 65 Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (R-Sr.)

Holding down the opposite end of the offensive line is Crenshaw-Dickson, the starting right tackle.

Crenshaw-Dickson is entering his first season with the Gators after transferring in the offseason from San Diego State. The redshirt senior started nine games last season with the Aztecs and played both the right and left tackle positions. So he has experience with the left side of the line as well.

During his collegiate career with San Diego State, Crenshaw-Dickson played 1,187 snaps in pass protection and gave up just six sacks and averaged 15 QB pressures per season, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). His PFF run-blocking grade was named “above average” in 2023 with a grade of 69.4 out of 100.

Backup Tackle: No. 57 Devon Manuel (R-Jr.)

Like Crenshaw-Dickson, Devon Manuel was a transfer that the Gators were able to acquire in the offseason.

Manuel transferred from Arkansas after playing nine games last season and started four of those games at left tackle. According to PFF, Manuel had the second-best graded run block on the Razorbacks last season and had a ton of snaps (417) under his belt.

Given the history with injuries on this offensive line, Manuel’s experience, especially at the SEC level, is valuable and he adds some much-needed depth at the OT position.

Reserves: No. 75 Kamryn Waites (R-Jr.), No. 53 Bryce Lovett (R-Fr.), No. 63 Caden Jones (R-Fr.)

Kamryn Waites is going into his third season with the Gators and he is also a guy who provides some experience and depth. Waites played in every SEC matchup as a reserve and started at RT in the last two games of the 2023 season.

Bryce Lovett is a redshirt freshman who has yet to see game action as a collegiate athlete. But that will likely change fairly soon. Lovett was ranked a four-star recruit by Rivals and signed with the Gators in 2022.

Caden Jones is another redshirt freshman who is still in development. On3 had Jones ranked as a four-star recruit out of high school and head coach Billy Napier was such a fan of him that he recruited him when he was in the 10th grade.

Freshmen: No. 68 Fletcher Westphal (Fr.) and No. 55 Mike Williams (Fr.)

Fletcher Westphal and Mike Williams are the two freshmen in this OT group.

Westphal is a four-star recruit out of Tuscarora High School in Leesburg, Virginia. He was ranked as a top-5 player in the state of Virginia and was invited to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl.

Williams was a three-star prospect and went to Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He was the No. 17-ranked recruit in the state of Maryland by 247Sports.

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Most intriguing transfer portal options at offensive tackle

Most intriguing transfer portal options at offensive tackle for Ohio State #GoBucks

We already broke down our expectations for how Ohio State could handle the quarterback position and then dived into the possible running backs and most recently covered the wide receiver position (if things break a certain way) and tight ends, but now we need to discuss one of everyone’s favorite positions, offensive tackle.

I try to keep up with social media and the recommendations we receive and it is very clear and obvious that everyone wants to know who are some of the top offensive tackles in the transfer portal. Josh Simmons will be back for 2024 and so will Josh Fryar, but rumor has it that the goal is to move Fryor to the inside and potentially find another option on the outside.

I don’t want to guarantee Ohio State will snag an offensive lineman in the transfer portal, but there are strong rumors circulating that it is a very likely outcome. The following are the top five most interesting offensive tackles for Ohio State that entered the transfer portal.

Gators add veteran SDSU offensive tackle through transfer portal

After seeing the names of the departed, it is good to finally see a transfer portal acquisition for the Gators.

Florida football made its first big splash in the NCAA transfer portal on Sunday when three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag], who has spent the past five years with the San Diego State Aztecs, committed to the Orange and Blue per a post on his personal Twitter account.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound behemoth played 37 games in SoCal and was looking to spend his final year of eligibility somewhere he could make his mark. Crenshaw-Dickson will not only bring size but experience to Florida’s O-line.

As a sophomore, he made 14 starts at right tackle taking 932 of the team’s 967 offensive snaps while allowing just one sack in 403 passing chances. He then switched to left tackle in his junior campaign, starting in 12 of the 13 games he appeared in. His senior season saw him play on both sides of the line making 10 starts out of 12 appearances, playing in a mix of left and right tackle.

That versatility has been one of his calling cards as a transfer prospect. Additionally, he was listed as the 50th draft-eligible offensive tackle by Phil Steele Magazine following his senior season.

The Golden State product had also visited the Texas Christian Horned Frogs, Louisville Cardinals and Virginia Tech Hokies since entering the portal on Nov. 29.

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San Diego State OT transfer portal target sets official visit with Gators

This well-experience big man would be a helpful addition to Florida’s depleted offensive line.

This coming weekend looks to be a busy one for Billy Napier and Co. as Florida football plays host to both JUCO and NCAA transfer portal targets.

Among the latter category is three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson[/autotag], who has spent the past five years with the San Diego State Aztecs. The senior, originally from City Harbor, California, will make an official visit to the Swamp alongside the others, according to Swamp247.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound behemoth played 37 games in SoCal and is looking to spend his final year of eligibility where he can make his mark. Crenshaw-Dickson would not only bring size but experience to Florida’s O-line.

That versatility has been one of his calling cards as a transfer prospect. Additionally, he was listed as the 50th draft-eligible offensive tackle by Phil Steele Magazine following his senior season.

The Golden State product has visited the Texas Christian Horned Frogs, Louisville Cardinals and Virginia Tech Hokies since entering the portal on Nov. 29.

Crenshaw-Dickson is ranked No. 163 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite JUCO. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the California Bears (22.2%) and TCU (19.4%) as his most likely transfer destinations.

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