Jake Slaughter – Syndication Server

Florida football center talks Week 10 matchup against Georgia

Gators veteran center Jake Slaughter talks about the upcoming matchup with Georgia on Saturday.

Redshirt junior center Jake Slaughter is ready for the challenge this Saturday as Florida football heads to Jacksonville to play the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.

Slaughter, playing in his fourth season with the Gators, is the veteran of this offensive line and leads the line in most offensive snaps this season with 425.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Slaughter is ranked seventh in the country among centers in pass blocking with a grade of 85.4. His offensive grade of 77.9 puts him at No. 8 on the list of centers in the nation.

In the Gators’ last game, a home victory against the Kentucky Wildcats, Slaughter had the best PFF run block grade among the team’s offensive line with a 70.5.

Slaughter spoke with the media on Wednesday night and this is what he had to say leading up to the matchup with the Bulldogs.

The challenge of Georgia’s defensive front

“So they’re very multiple. That’s always challenging. You know, we’re a rule-based organization from the bottom up, so you have rules for every type of front, everything they’re going to show you, but they move a lot. It’s a lot of backward plugs.

“They do a little bit of the defensive back stuff, you know, backfield rotating and plugging and playing…It’s challenging, and some you look forward to playing against.”

The improvement of the Gators offensive-line

“I think we’ve taken a lot of great steps forward. I think there’s certainly room to improve in all aspects of our game, but I think we’ve definitely made solid improvements. And, you know, like I said earlier, it’s cohesiveness as a unit. It’s gelling together. You know, then it also comes down to technique and fundamentals that we’ve continued to improve.”

Austin Barber’s toughness

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Austin Barber is one of the toughest guys in our room, and one of the toughest guys I know. He’ll play through about anything…It says a lot about him as a man, as a football player.”

Loves playing with DJ Lagway

“DJ’s (Lagway) just fun to play with man. You know, every time he drops back, there’s potential for him to just make some unreal throw. So, yeah, that plays a lot in the belief. And I don’t want to leave Graham (Mertz) either.

“He’s (Lagway) a lot of fun to play with here. He’s got some swag to him. You know, we look up to him. He proved he can do it, so there’s no doubt in DJ. And he knows he’s got some, you know, some juice behind him.”

The challenges of establishing the run against Georgia’s linebackers

“Yeah, I mean, they’re good in the box. They’re really good. They’ve got linebackers…Well, you know, up front, they’re a good unit. So it’s like, anytime you’re playing against good players, you gotta go for good playing fundamentals and techniques across the board.”

How to watch Florida vs. Georgia

The Gators go up against the Bulldogs on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Jacksonville. That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ABC.

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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.

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Breaking down Week 7 PFF grades for Florida’s passing game vs. Tennessee

Florida’s passing game had good moments and bad moments against Tennessee. Here’s what PFF has to say about the performance.

Florida’s offense struggled against Tennessee, earning a 63.0 overall team grade from Pro Football Focus in the Week 7 loss.

It’s the lowest grade Florida has earned since Week 3 against Texas A&M (62.9) and is only slightly better than the 58.4 earned in Week 1 against Miami.

Gators Wire breaks down PFF grades each week, splitting the offense into two categories — the passing game and the run game. This article is focused on the passing game, further broken down into three elements — passing, receiving and pass blocking.

For those unfamiliar with PFF’s grading system, a refresher course can be found at the bottom of this page. Let’s get into the numbers.

Quarterbacks

Before discussing the quarterbacks, it’s important to note that starter [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] suffered an injury in the second half that will keep him out for the rest of the season. That doesn’t change how PFF grades his performance, but it does change the emphasis normally placed on his play as the starting quarterback. As a result, [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] will be the main focus this week.

Lagway took 39 snaps to Mertz’s 33 and also dropped back 20 times to the starter’s 18. Mertz led statistically, completing 11 of 15 attempts (73.3%) for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Lagway struggled to find the same consistency. The true freshman completed just nine of 17 attempts (52.9%) for 98 yards, a touchdown and one interception.

Mertz ended the game with the third-best overall grade (72.3) on the team, while Lagway finished with the worst (51.8). The trend continues when looking at the passing grades (removing scrambles and designed runs). Mertz was second with a 76.6 and Lagway was second to last on the list with a 53.1 passing grade. Keep in mind that Mertz had a 24.6 fumble grade, which should have lowered his overall.

Frankly, Lagway’s grades are concerning, even if it comes against one of the top defenses in the country. Florida plays four more ranked teams this year, and it’s going to be difficult winning any of those with a quarterback playing at a replacement level.

He wasn’t as sharp in play action (47.3/47.4) and failed to reach the 65.0 threshold while running any passing concept (no play action, screen and no screen). The silver lining is that Lagway earned a 75.2 on deep plays, connecting with Chimere Dike for a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Lagway ranks sixth in the country with a 95.7 passing grade on deep plays this season; however, it’s important to note that he’s only attempted 12 throws beyond 20 yards.

Receivers

Florida’s 60.2 receiving grade against Tennessee is the worst number the Gators’ pass-catchers have put up all season, narrowly beating out a 60.3-grade performance against Texas A&M.

Slot

[autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag]’s role in Florida’s offense has changed throughout the season. He lines up both in the slot and out wide, typically on the left side. He’s been slot-heavy for the past two games, but Eugene Wilson III’s return to action allows Dike to move out wide a bit more often.

Against Tennessee, Dike played 51 of 72 offensive snaps, lining up in the slot 23 times and out wide 27 times. Pro Football Focus has him listed as a slot receiver, so that’s the designation we’ll go with, but know that Dike is a multi-faceted threat, similar to Ricky Pearsall and Wilson.

Dike led the receivers room with a 64.5 overall offensive grade and a 63.9 receiving grade. He caught four of six targets for 76 yards and the game-tying touchdown mentioned above. A fumble led to a fumble grade of 23.4, hurting the other two grades, but this was a pretty solid performance from Dike in a different role than usual.

Instead of being targeted behind the line of scrimmage and within 10 yards, the majority of Dike’s routes and targets went beyond the first-down marker.

Left WR

It’s hard to pin down [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag]’s position since he plays all over the field on offense. Wilson took the field for 57 of 72 offensive snaps, lining up 29 times out wide and 27 times in the slot — 15 on the left and 14 on the right. PFF calls him a left wide receiver, so that’s what we’ll go with.

He led the team with five catches on eight targets but only collected 35 yards. His average depth of target was only 5.4 yards, which means he’s running a lot of drags and screens.

Wilson’s overall grade of 56.9 and receiving grade of 58.1 aren’t great, but his drop grade of 76.3 was the highest on the team. Hopefully, the second-year Gator is able to find his rhythm and make a bigger impact in the passing game moving forward. His best numbers came in the intermediate range (72.5), so look for Billy Napier to utilize him a bit differently next week.

Right WR

[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] is also listed as a left wide receiver, but he actually lined up on the right side 30 times to 21 on the left. Badger played 58 of 72 offensive snaps, the most of any Florida receiver this week. He caught two of four targets for 30 yards — his lowest single-game total of the year.

His 57.6 overall grade and 59.4 receiving grade are also season lows, which might have to do with Wilson’s return. Still, it’s surprising to see Badger finish without a deep-ball catch, considering Florida receivers performed best against Tennessee strong safety Andre Turrentine (31.7 coverage grade).

[autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] was the fourth receiver to get snaps, splitting time on either side out wide. He was only targeted once and played all of five snaps when Florida called a passing play. His 55.6 overall grade and 55.5 receiving grade should be taken with a grain of salt.

Tight Ends

Florida’s tight-end tandem of [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] played a prominent role in the passing game this week. Hansen sees the field more, playing 59 snaps to Boardingham’s 47, but Boardingham played more passing downs (24) than Hansen (19).

Both players hauled in three passes for 40 yards; however, Boardingham scored a touchdown and dropped a pass. As a result of Boardinham’s drop grade (40.2), Hansen finished with a better receiving grade — 76.7 to Boardingham’s 58.7.

Running Backs

It wasn’t a great receiving week for the running backs, but that’s not their primary job. Montrell Johnson Jr. caught one of two targets for eight yards and a 44.1 receiving grade, while Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson both finished the game with negative yardage.

Johnson also got hurt in this game, so let’s just pretend these numbers don’t matter.

Pass Blocking

Florida’s pass-blocking grade is usually the high point of these reviews, but a 76.6 team grade is the second-lowest of the season for the Gators. It’s still a solid number, but there’s no doubt that Florida faced a tough pass rush this week.

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

[autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] played all 72 snaps and 38 pass plays for Florida against Tennessee, earning an overall grade of 56.3 and a pass-blocking grade of 69.4.

Barber didn’t have his best day as a pass-blocker, slipping under the 70.0 threshold to 69.4 but it was still a solid performance. His overall grade suffers from a relatively poor day as a run blocker.

The only sack of the day for Tennessee came against Barber, which also accounts for his lone allowed quarterback pressure.

Left Guard

[autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] played the majority of snaps at left guard for Florida this week, seeing the field for 64 snaps to Bryce Lovett’s eight. Both players performed well, though.

Harris finished second on the team with an overall grade of 72.7 and he was the team’s best pass blocker with an 86.1 grade. It’s the third game in a row that Harris has earned a pass-blocking grade of 84.6 or higher, and he’s approaching a top-50 berth among guards throughout all of Divison I football with 150 or more snaps.

Lovett had the fourth-highest overall grade (69.0) on offense on the team this week and was third among pass blockers (78.1) in his limited time on the field. He’s been consistent all year in that regard, ranking seventh overall (89.6) among guards, regardless of snap count.

Center

[autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] provided his first poor pass-blocking game of the season, earning a 58.7 pass-blocking and a 53.4 overall grade. It’s pretty easy to figure out where things went wrong. Slaughter allowed three pressures, three hurries and one quarterback hit. A penalty late in the game also hurts.

It’s not time to worry about him just yet, though. Slaughter remains a top-10 pass-blocking center overall and Tennessee is a team that typically gets to the quarterback. He’ll need to clean things up against Kentucky next week.

Right Guard

Damieon George Jr. delivered the worst pass-blocking performance (51.5) of the week and was on the field for 32 passing plays. He’s been on a downward spiral recently, dropping from a low-80s average to below the 65.0 threshold.

Allowing three pressures by UCF last week made for a worse score, but it’s hard to defend this kind of play over back-to-back weeks, especially when Kamryn Waites shows more promise as a pass blocker.

Waites has only played 22 passing snaps over the past three games, but he’s consistently above the 75.0 mark, posting a 75.8 this week. Limited sample size is going to play a factor here, but he was also good against Texas A&M (88.3) when he played 22 snaps in one game.

Right Tackle

Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson has been incredibly steady since becoming a starter in Week 2. He’s consistently at or above 80.0 as a pass blocker and is ranked 13th overall among tackles with at least 150 snaps this year.

It was a rough week for the offensive line, but it’s good to see someone stay consistent against a good pass rush.

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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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.

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.

Florida players get overall boost in EA College Football 25

After five weeks of college football, EA Sports has updated several players’ overall ratings, including these four Florida Gators.

Four Florida Gators received ratings boosts in the latest title update for EA College Football 25 — center [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] (88), quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] (81), running back [autotag]Ja’Kobi Jackson[/autotag] (75), and wide receiver [autotag]TJ Abrams[/autotag] (70).

Slaughter is the only every-down player for Florida on that list. He’s played all but 13 of Florida’s 249 offensive snaps this season and is the top-ranked pass-blocking center in the country, according to Pro Football Focus.

The fourth-year center is the anchor of Florida’s offensive line, so it’s not too surprising to see him increase his overall rating in the video game by one. Cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. remains the only Gator with a higher overall.

Despite being a true freshman, Lagway’s might be the most famous name on this list. A former five-star recruit, Lagway was thrust into a starting role in Week 2 against Samford with Graham Mertz recovering from a concussion. He’s now splitting time under center with Mertz, taking every third drive two weeks ago against Mississippi State.

But it’s the one game Lagway started that has his overall up one rating point to an 81. He threw for 456 yards against Samford, setting both a program record among freshman and the national high through five weeks of the 2024 season. The memorable performance may have come against an FCS team, but no one is holding that against Lagway.

Junior college transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson is the biggest mover on Florida’s roster, jumping up 11 spot to a 75 overall rating. Jackson has only seen the field for 12 snaps, but he’s made the most of his 11 attempts by rushing for 68 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.

His overall rating on PFF (77.3) is the highest of any Gators running back as is his 76.1 grade on run plays. Ball security plays a big role for Jackson. Only Treyaun Webb has ran the ball (21 attempts) more without fumbling.

Last on the list is another true freshman, wide receiver TJ Abrams, who has played just 13 snaps. He reeled in his only target of the season, gaining three yards on the play, but this promotion is mostly because he’s getting playing time as a true freshman.

EA likely pegged him as a non-factor in his first year with Florida, but seeing the field has forced the developers to give him a bump from his initial 68 overall rating.

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WATCH: Florida Gators RB Montrell Johnson Jr. breaks 71-yard TD

It’s been tough for the Florida Gators to find offense against Miami, but Montrell Johnson Jr. broke a 71-yard run for UF’s first touchdown of the year.

The Florida Gators didn’t have the first half it wanted to against the Miami Hurricanes, but running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. provided a highlight to keep the Orange and Blue in it before halftime.

Johnson had run for 22 yards on five carries before ripping a 71-yarder down the left side for Florida’s first touchdown of the season. The Gators’ offense was “inept” in the first half, according to the halftime crew on ABC, but Johnson’s big run sparked some life back into The Swamp.

Johnson will get the praise because he had the ball in his hands, but the left side of the offensive line, and tight end [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag], deserve some love too. Hansen is Florida’s best blocking tight end and he removed the edge defender from the equation early in the play. [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], Florida’s starting left tackle, did the same with the inside linemen.

Left guard [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and center [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] did a good job rotating around those guys and shut down the second level of Miami’s defense, allowing Johnson to turn on the burners and find a seam down the edge.

MONTRELL JOHNSON JR. 71 YARDS TO THE HOUSE 🏠🐊 pic.twitter.com/luQspWsxjc

— ESPN (@espn) August 31, 2024

It was a brief moment of hope for Florida before Miami ran a two-minute drill to near perfection and made it a two-score game again before the half.

Aside from Johnson’s run, Florida’s offense hasn’t looked good against its in-state rival. A few missed shots to Elijhah Badger and an inability to convert on third and fourth have the Gators in a deep hole with 30 minutes left on the game clock.

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Florida Football 2024 Position Preview: Centers and Guards

Florida’s offensive line has been a bit of a question mark in recent years, but there’s returning talent at every position on the interior heading into 2024.

After looking at Florida’s offensive tackles, it’s time to review the interior offensive linemen on the Gators’ roster.

Offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Jon DeCoster need to replace all three starters on the interior this year. Center Kingsley Eguakun signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Detroit Lions, guard Richie Leonard transferred to FSU and Micah Mazzccua is now with Nebraska.

Fortunately, four-year veteran [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] is back and ready to be the full-time snapper, and there will be new starters at both guard positions this year.

Let’s take a look at each interior offensive lineman on Florida’s roster. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.

Starting Center: No. 66 Jake Slaughter (R-Jr.)

Slaughter returns as Florida’s starting center this year, and he’s arguably the team’s most reliable offensive lineman.

Slaughter started eight of 11 games last year in place of an injured Kingsley Eguakun and earned a 77.8 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus to lead the team. He’s as good of a pass blocker (78.4) as he is a run blocker (78.9), and he allowed just nine pressures over 306 opportunities.

If Austin Barber is the returning leader of the outside group, Slaughter is his counterpart on the interior. Entering his fourth year with the program, Florida will lean on Slaughter just as heavily as it did a year ago.

The Rimington Trophy selection committee included Slaughter on its preseason watch list.

Starting Left Guard: No. 77 Knijeah Harris (So.)

Following the departure of Mazzccua, sophomore [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] appears primed to step into the starting left guard spot for Florida.

Harris played nearly 170 snaps split between both guard positions last year. His lone start came against Charlotte, but he saw 10 or more snaps in five other games. Pro Football Focus gave him a 72.9 offensive grade, but that number is a bit skewed because he played most of his snaps against non-Power Four schools.

He’s a better pass blocker than run blocker. PFF consistently graded him out in the high 70s and low 80s throughout last season, regardless of opponent.

The big question will be how well the second-year player handles the increased workload. Fatigue begins to set in when you’re taking 500-plus snaps a season.

Starting Right Guard: No. Damieon George Jr. (R-Jr.)

Most fans will remember [autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. as the Alabama transfer who struggled to hold down the right tackle spot for Florida a season ago, but a move to the guard position should yield better results.

Florida’s coaching staff feels George is better suited to play on the interior — he’s better against the run than the pass — and he’s replaced “17 and a half pounds of fat with 16 pounds of lean mass”, according to Billy Napier.

“The biggest challenge for me last year I felt was my weight. I felt like I played too heavy and ultimately played a big role in some of my play late in games,” George said in April. “So just being able to finish out the games with the same intensity I started with was a big emphasis for me.”

Expect some growing pains, though. Despite practicing at guard a bit while at ‘Bama, this will be the first time George takes significant snaps at the position.

Backups: No. 71 Roderick Kearney (R-Fr.), No. 56 Christian Williams (R-So.)

Aside from the three projected starters, Florida is going to need at least two rotational pieces throughout the season on the interior — potentially more if injuries pop up.

The first name that comes to mind is redshirt freshman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], who didn’t see the field at all last year as a member of the scout team. Kearney can play all three interior positions, and versatility is a must for a non-starter. The jury is still out on how productive Kearney can be in Year 2, but he’s made great strides over the past year.

Then there’s redshirt sophomore [autotag]Christian Williams[/autotag], who has played all of 31 snaps over the past two seasons. Thanks to some strong numbers on PFF — 88.5 offensive grade, 78.9 as a pass blocker and 89.2 as a run blocker — there’s plenty of optimism surrounding Williams, despite his lack of experience. He’s mostly played left guard but could fit on either side if needed.

Reserves: No. 53 Bryce Lovett (R-Fr.) and No. 75 Kamryn Waites (R-Jr.)

[autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] is another name worth keeping an eye on, especially if injuries hit the interior more than the exterior of the line. Like Kearney, Lovett did not appear in a game for Florida as a true freshman. He’s undergone a body transformation and is more confident in himself entering his second season. In spring, Lovett played all five offensive line positions, so he’s the definition of a flex player. There are also questions about the right side of the line, so he could get significant snaps later on in the year.

[autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] is another flex player that could fit into Florida’s plans for the interior. He played over 200 snaps at tackle last year, most of which came over the final two games of the season which he started. Waites is now a year and a half removed from his ACL injury and should be a key rotational piece on Florida’s offensive line this year.

Freshmen: No. 50 Jason Zandamela (Fr.), No. 74 Noel Portnjagin (Fr.), No. 78 Marcus Mascoll (Fr.) and No. 79 Enoch Wangoy

There are four new scholarship freshmen in Florida’s interior offensive line group, [autotag]Marcus Mascoll[/autotag], [autotag]Noel Portnjagin[/autotag], [autotag]Enoch Wangoy[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Zandamela[/autotag], who transferred after a semester at USC.

Zandamela might have the most raw talent of the bunch, but he started learning the game in 2020. He’s spent the fall training at center, which explains some of the versatility shown by guys like Harris and Kearney. Zandamela was a four-star recruit out of high school who ranked in the top 30 of all transfers in the 2024 portal.

Portnjagin might have the best shot to see the field of the trio, however. He has experience in the German Football League and has been on campus since January. He has tackle size, but Florida plans to use him as a guard.

Mascoll played tackle in high school but could end up anywhere on the offensive line in Gainesville. Like Portnjagin, injuries could force him onto the field in a reserve role, but this is another likely redshirt.

Wangoy is another international product that started playing sports recently. He’s from England and played multiple sports at Zarephath Academy in Jacksonville. At 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, Wangoy has the size to play on the offensive line in the SEC, but it might take a few years for him to develop his technique.

Walk-Ons: No. 59 Hayden Clem (R-Jr.), No. 60 Chase Stevens (Fr.), No. 72 Bryan Rosenberg (R-Fr.) and No. 90 Connor Homa (R-Fr.)

In case 11 scholarship players isn’t enough, Florida has four walk-on offensive linemen on the roster to provide some depth.

Hayden Clem is the veteran of the group, entering his fourth year with the program. He made his debut last season during the McNeese game, earning a 74.1 offensive grade at left guard from Pro Football Focus.

Connor Homa and Bryan Rosenberg are both redshirt freshmen who are hoping to see the field for the first time in Gainesville. Homa was a defensive tackle last season but switched positions after the spring game, and Rosenberg is a local guy from Buchholz in Gainesville — he also has the best last name on the team (see byline).

Rounding out the group position room is true freshman Chase Stevens out of Vero Beach High School. He joined the team in the spring.

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Florida offensive lineman named to Rimington Trophy Watch List

Florida’s incumbent starting center Jake Slaughter made the Rimington Trophy Watch List, which was announced on Friday.

The Rimington Trophy Preseason Watch List was announced on Friday and yet another member of the Florida Gators earned a mention on one of many prestigious previews for the coming fall.

Offensive lineman [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag], who played in all 12 games in 2023 and started eight games at center, got the call this year after filling in admirably when previous starting center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] was sidelined with an injury for most of the season. The then-redshirt sophomore made the most of the opportunity handed to him, ultimately grading out as the No. 14 center in the FBS with an 81.2 PFF grade across 622 total snaps.

Slaughter is the only member of Florida’s returning corps to earn a spot among PFF’s top interior offensive linemen this fall.

“His 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.”

Rimington Award announcement

“The Rimington Trophy is proud to release its 2024 preseason Watchlist. This year, the Trophy committee worked with Pro Football Focus (PFF) to narrow down its list to the top 40 centers. PFF grades every player on every play of every game on how well they execute their given assignment.

“That play-by-play grading allowed the Trophy committee to create a watchlist based both on nominations from the schools and data provided by PFF. Once the season begins, schools will be able to nominate their centers for late addition based on in-season merit.”

Full Rimington Award watch list

CONF	SCHOOL	NAME	CLASS
ACC
	Boston College	Drew Kendall	RS JR
	Florida State	Maurice Smith	RS SR
	Louisville	Pete Nygra	RS JR
	NC State	Zeke Correll	GRAD
	Virginia	Brian Stevens	GRAD
	Wake Forest	Luke Petitbon	JR
	Stanford	Levi Rogers	5th YR SR
	Georgia Tech	Weston Franklin	SR
	SMU	Justin Osborne	GRAD
SEC
	Alabama	Parker Brailsford	RS SO
	Florida	Jake Slaughter	RS JR
	Georgia	Jared Wilson	JR
	Oklahoma	Branson Hickman	RS SR
	Tennessee	Cooper Mays	SR
	Texas	Jake Majors	SR
	Auburn	Connor Lew	SO
	Missouri	Connor Tollison	JR
	Mississippi State	Ethan Miner	SR
	South Carolina	Vershon Lee	RS SR
BIG12
	Cincinnati	Gavin Gerhardt	RS SR
	BYU	Connor Pay	SR
	Oklahoma State	Joe Michalski	RS SR
	Arizona State	Leif Fautanu	RS SR
BIG10
	Iowa	Logan Jones	SR
	USC	Jonah Monheim	RS SR
	Purdue	Gus Hartwig	SR
	Oregon	Iapani Laloulu	SO
	Ohio State	Seth McLaughlin	GRAD
	Nebraska	Ben Scott	SR
PAC12
	Oregon State	Van Wells	JR
Con-USA
	Liberty	Jordan White	JR
	New Mexico State	Canaan Yarro	RS SR
American
	Army	Brady Small	SO
	Navy	Brent Self	SR
	FAU	Federico Maranges	RS SR
	UAB	Brady Wilson	RS SR
	UTSA	CJ James	RS SR
MAC
	Western Michigan	Jacob Gideon	SR
Sun Belt
	Louisiana	Landon Burton	RS SR
	Arkansas State	Jacob Bayer	SR

Florida’s 2024 season opener

Florida and the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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