Tag: Josh Braun

Two Arkansas players earn All-SEC football honors

Landon Jackson and – get this – an offensive lineman, Josh Braun, were named All-SEC second-team.

Arkansas guard Josh Braun and defensive end Landon Jackson were each named All-SEC by the league’s media on Monday.

Braun was in his first season at Arkansas after transferring from Florida where he was a part-time starter. He fit into the starting lineup quickly with the Razorbacks, who needed plenty of offensive line help.

The group gave up a school-record 47 sacks and the team ran for its fewest yards per game since 2012. Less was on Braun than anyone else, though, as his pass protection grade checked out at 79.0, per Pro Football Focus.

Jackson was a legitimate disruptive force on Arkansas’ front. He had 6 1/2 sacks and 13 1/2 tackles for-loss, both ranking inside the Top 10 in the SEC. The TFL mark was actually tied for third among all Southeastern Conference players.

Both were tabbed to the All-SEC second-team and both could return to Arkansas in 2024. Braun seems more likely, as Jackson is expected to be an NFL pick were he to enter the draft. However, reports indicated last week that Jackson was leaning toward returning to Fayetteville.

Arkansas Preseason Depth Chart – Offensive Line

As the Hogs begin game prep for the opener against Western Carolina, here’s where the offensive line depth chart stands.

Throughout fall camp, Sam Pittman didn’t shy away from talking about Arkansas’ offensive line struggles.

Following the departures of Ricky Stromberg and Dalton Wagner to the NFL, the Hogs had to do some shuffling on up front. Arkansas’ projected two-deep, includes three seniors, one junior and three sophomores. Of the players in the two-deep, only five have experience playing against SEC competition.

The majority of that experience lies on the interior of the offensive line, where senior guard [autotag]Brady Latham[/autotag], senior center [autotag]Beaux Limmer[/autotag] and junior transfer guard [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] are projected to lead. At the tackle spot is where offensive line coach [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag] could have issues.

Arkansas will be relying on sophomores [autotag]Patrick Kutas[/autotag] and [autotag]Devon Manuel[/autotag], who have yet to get meaningful snaps against SEC opponents. That’s where a lot of the offensive line’s highly-publicized pass protection struggles stemmed from during fall camp.

Now, things aren’t always as bad as they seem and [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag]’s got a lot of talent for his third season in Fayetteville. But the pressure is on. Arkansas has KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders to lead a high-octane offensive attack, but that won’t mean anything if they don’t have help up front.

Let’s take a deeper look at the offensive line’s depth chart ahead of week one.

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Depth Chart: Florida OL O’Cyrus Torrence ready to return against Georgia

Florida’s weekly depth chart is out, and it looks like right guard O’Cyrus Torrence will be back on the field against Georgia.

The Florida Gators will welcome back their right guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] on Saturday when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs.

UF released its weekly depth chart on Wednesday, and Torrence is no longer listed on the injury report with the lower-body issue that kept him out of the LSU game. He tried to play against the Tigers but didn’t feel well enough during pre-game warmups to take the field. Getting him back will provide a massive boost to Florida’s running game against what might be the best defense in the country.

That’s not the only change in the offensive line rotation. [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] is no longer with the team after announcing his intentions to enter the transfer portal in December upon graduating from UF. [autotag]Richie Leonard IV[/autotag], who was already ahead of Braun in the rotation, is now listed as the team’s backup at both guard positions.

The defensive unit remained mostly untouched through the bye week. JACK linebacker [autotag]Lloyd Summerall III[/autotag] is questionable with an upper-body injury, but he’s still listed as Florida’s third-string option behind [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr[/autotag].

Linebacker [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] is still on the injury list with a lower-body issue. He missed Florida’s game against LSU and should be out against Georgia. True freshman cornerback [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] is also unlikely to play after missing the past two games.

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Florida’s long snapper enters transfer portal

Long snapper Marco Ortiz is the most recent Florida Gator to enter the transfer portal, per reports.

There figured to be some turnover after the first year of the [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] era in Gainesville, but the dominos are beginning to fall a bit earlier than expected for the Florida Gators. On Wednesday, long snapper [autotag]Marco Ortiz[/autotag] became the second player to announce his midseason decision to enter the transfer portal, according to Gators Online.

Last week, offensive lineman [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] stepped away from the team with intentions to enter the portal on Dec.  5, when he’ll have earned his degree from UF. Ortiz’s situation is a bit different. As a fifth-year redshirt junior who was put on scholarship during the 2021 season, Ortiz already has his bachelor’s degree in health education. That means he can enter the portal immediately and search for a new home without delay.

Ortiz started the year off as Florida’s starting long snapper after winning the job a year ago, but the staff has included him on the weekly injury report since the season opener. A medical waiver could grant him another year of eligibility, but he has at least one more year in college unless he opts to go pro like his brother.

Redshirt freshman [autotag]Rocco Underwood[/autotag] will continue to serve as Florida’s long snapper with Ortiz’s season effectively finished. Underwood signed in 2020 as one of the nation’s top long snappers and made his debut against UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl last season.

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Billy Napier addresses OL Josh Braun’s decision to transfer

Billy Napier addressed offensive lineman Josh Braun’s decision to transfer on Wednesday while speaking on the weekly SEC teleconference.

On Tuesday, the news broke that Florida offensive lineman [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag]’s intended to transfer from the university following the season. In the 24 hours since those plans have been made public, Braun and Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] have addressed the situation.

Braun took to social media a few hours after the initial report from Swamp247 came out. He explained his plan to graduate from the University of Florida before moving on but noted that his class schedule requires him to be away from the team for the rest of the year.

By shutting things down now, Braun will retain his redshirt and a year of eligibility. Although he hadn’t seen a ton of playing time this season, Braun played in two games as a special teamer and didn’t want to risk injury.

Napier’s only chance to address the situation came Wednesday during the weekly SEC teleconference since Florida is on a bye week. He praised Braun’s character and seemed to understand the offensive lineman’s desire to take on a bigger role.

According to a follow-up report from 247Sports, Napier and the coaching staff urged Braun to stay by telling him he was one spot away from consistent playing time. But preserving the redshirt for a fresh start is the better business decision, albeit a tough one to come to.

“I think a tough situation for Josh,” Napier said. “I think anytime, a lot of things going on there relative to big picture personally, with his wife, his degree, certainly his role on the team…

“Josh has been a class act. Extremely bright. A guy who’s close to getting his degree here,” he said. “Wants more of a role, and certainly, you know, interesting decision, relative to being right in the middle of the season, but we’ve got nothing but respect for Josh and will certainly help him going forward anyway possible.”Losing Braun does leave Florida in a tricky spot. With [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] still recovering from a lower-body injury, Florida is already using its sixth and seventh linemen often. Another injury would have brought Braun in, but now Napier and Co. have to reach deeper down the depth chart for a replacement.

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Florida OL Josh Braun expected to hit transfer portal

After seeing a major decrease in playing time under the new staff, Florida offensive lineman Josh Braun is shutting things down and waiting for the transferring portal in December.

After seeing a dramatic decrease in playing time following the coaching staff change at Florida, sophomore offensive lineman [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] is planning on transferring from the university, according to a report from Swamp247’s Graham Hall.

Braun won’t enter the portal until Dec. 5 due to the NCAA’s transfer regulations, but his time with the Gators has come to an end. The decision is hardly surprising considering the way Braun’s playing time has trended this year. After being on the field for 639 snaps as a sophomore, Braun has been a part of Billy Napier’s offense for just 24 plays through seven games.

But how does a part-time starter fall off so heavily? [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag]’s transfer to UF has a lot to do with it. Napier brought Torrence over from Louisiana, and he’s been among the best interior offensive lineman in the country all season. Braun had a chance to win the backup spot at right guard, but [autotag]Richie Leonard IV[/autotag] has been Florida’s man whenever one of the guards needs a breather.

Gators Online spoke with Braun’s father, Mike, and confirmed Hall’s report. With only having played in two games this season, Braun can use a redshirt and retain a year of eligibility.

“Josh had to make a decision about his future,” Mike Braun said. “He felt like he had to preserve his redshirt and enter the portal when it opens. He left the team.”

In the end, this move is what’s best for Braun’s career. He’s shown flashes of promise as a young lineman in the SEC and could help hold down a line for a team with more openings. Braun’s work at Florida isn’t exactly finished either. He is working on graduating from the university with his bachelor’s degree before he moves on, according to Hall’s report.

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