Tag: Jake Slaughter

Gators have one of Pro Football Focus’ top 10 offensive lines in 2024

The Gators just snuck into the top 10 in PFF’s national O-line rankings.

Things have been sour for the Florida football program over the past few years having strung together three straight losing seasons for the first time since the 1940s. Nonetheless, there have been a few bright spots along the way that might bode well for the future.

Pro Football Focus analyst Max Chadwick submitted his picks for the top 10 offensive lines in the upcoming 2024 campaign, with Gators sneaking in the final spot.

“Florida’s offensive line was dominant in the run game last season,” Chadwick begins. “The Gators’ front five earned an 82.2 run-blocking grade, fourth among Power Five offensive lines.”

That bodes well for the upcoming season, which has one of its key players returning to the Swamp.

“Florida returns three starters from that line, with its star coming from the middle. [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] is my No. 8 returning interior offensive lineman in college football after posting an 81.2 overall grade, second among Power Five centers.”

Florida’s 2024 season opener

Florida opens up its 2024 regular-season schedule in the Swamp against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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PFF ranks Florida center among top IOL heading into 2024

Pro Football Focus is breaking down the best college football players at each position, and Florida center Jake Slaughter made the cut.

Florida has a lot of young talent ready to make their mark on the college football world heading into the 2024 season, but there’s also a distinct lack of elite returning talent throughout the roster.

Redshirt junior center [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] is the only returning Gator to make a Pro Football Focus watch list for his position group after putting together an impressive 81.2-grade season in 2023. He started off the year as the backup in Gainesville but hit the ground running when Kingsley Eguakun went down for most of the year.

“(Slaughter’s) 81.2 grade was second among Power Five centers to only Jackson Powers-Johnson,” according to PFF. “He also performed well in our GAS metric, which allows him to dominate on zone runs. His 82.4 run-blocking grade on such plays tied for fifth in the Power Five. As a full-time starter in 2024, expect Slaughter to become much more of a household name.”

Slaughter’s Career at Florida

Slaughter flipped his commitment from Florida State to Florida in 2021 to play for Dan Mullen, but he ended up being one of the few players who stayed in Gainesville to play for Billy Napier.

After playing a handful of snaps against Samford as a freshman, Slaughter redshirted and earned playing time in all 13 games as a special teams regular in his second year.

Eguakun started the year hurt and played sparingly in 2023, opening the door for Slaughter to make eight starts (622 snaps) at center. He finished the year rated No. 14 in the FBS with a 75.9 PFF grade.

Heading into 2024, Slaughter is the favorite to snap the ball for Florida. Second-year players Roderick Kearney and Knijeah Harris will back him up.

Top Returning Interior Offensive Lineman

  1.  Parker Brailsford, Alabama Crimson Tide
  2.  Tate Ratledge, Georgia Bulldogs
  3.  Tyler Booker, Alabama Crimson Tide
  4.  Donovan Jackson, Ohio State Buckeyes
  5.  Clay Webb, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
  6.  Luke Kandra Cincinatti Bearcats
  7. Jaeden Roberts, Alabama Crimson Tide
  8. Jake Slaughter, Florida Gators
  9. Dylan Fairchild, Georgia Bulldogs
  10. Willie Lampkin, North Carolina Tar Heels

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Gators flip 2021 three-star center Jake Slaughter from Florida State

The Florida Gators added their third commit in the 2021 class in the last seven days, flipping 3-star Ocala center Jake Slaughter from FSU.

The Florida Gators added their third commit in the 2021 class in the last seven days, flipping three-star Ocala center Jake Slaughter from the Florida State Seminoles on July 24.

Slaughter announced the change in plans on his Twitter account.

Playing his prep football for Trinity Catholic, the 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pounder played a pivotal role in the Celtics finishing 8-4 in 2019 and advancing to the Region 1-3A Semifinals, earning first-team All-County honors from the Ocala Star-Banner in the process.

He originally committed to Mike Norvell’s Seminoles on April 13 after receiving his offer on July 27, 2019, the same day he attended a camp in Tallahassee.

Primarily recruited by co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach John Hevesy and linebackers coach Christian Robinson, Slaughter becomes the 21st pledge in the upcoming cycle for the Gators and the fourth offensive lineman, joining Orlando’s Javonte Gardner, Independence (Kansas) Community College’s Deyavie Hammond, and Lynn Haven’s Adrein Strickland, all fellow three-stars.

Stone Mountain, Georgia’s George Jackson, another three-star who committed to Florida way back on November 27, 2018, is no longer listed as a member of the program’s 2021 class on 247Sports, so this story is worth monitoring moving forward.

Slaughter fills a position of need for the program, too. Brett Heggie, a redshirt senior, is the projected starter at center this fall, followed by redshirt freshman Kingsley Eguakun, who saw action in two games a year ago.

Overall, the FSU flip is the 19th-highest-rated member of the Gators’ class and the tenth-highest on the offensive side of the football.

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