Joshua Braun – Syndication Server

Kentucky gets commitments from two offensive line transfers

Kentucky football has gained commitments from two All-conference offensive linemen from the transfer portal.

The offensive line was a problem for Kentucky football in 2024. It wasn’t the only issue, but it was a big reason the offense struggled to score points. Rebuilding it this offseason is key for Mark Stoops, and getting two commitments from linemen from the transfer portal is a good start.

Joshua Braun was a four-star recruit who initially committed to the Florida Gators, but transferred to Arkansas. There, he became a second-team All-SEC guard. He’ll likely be the starting right guard for the Wildcats.

Related: Kentucky among ten most-viewed teams in 2024

Alex Wollschleger is transferring to Kentucky from Bowling Green. There, he was the starting right tackle, and earned first-team All-MAC honors after this past season. Both players have one year of eligibility remaining.

It’s likely that Stoops and his staff aren’t finished adding offensive linemen from the portal. They will be looking for a new starting left tackle, and would like to get a veteran there. Braun and Wollschleger are solid additions, though, and a start as Kentucky tries to rebuild after a disappointing year.

Arkansas freshman lineman Su’a opts to enter transfer portal

Former Bentonville offensive lineman Joey Su’a has decided to leave Arkansas and enter the transfer portal.

After redshirting at Arkansas this past season, without seeing any time on the field, former Bentonville offensive lineman Joey Su’a has decided to enter the transfer portal.

Su’a is the 13th Razorback to enter the portal since it opened on Dec. 4.

The 6-foot-4, 346-pounder enrolled early last spring, after being a consensus 3-Star prospect. He was rated the No. 3 player in Arkansas for the Class of 2023, and the No. 22 offensive guard nationally, by Rivals.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman entered the offseason committed to shoring up an offensive line that proved ineffective for most of the year.

Su’a’s departure drops the Razorbacks’ offensive line scholarship total to 16, and drops the overall scholarship number to 81. That does clear the way for four more additions, from either the portal, or the high school or junior college ranks. The Razorbacks are expected to host several transfer offensive linemen in the coming days.

The early signing period for college football is Dec. 20-22, with the regular signing period to begin Feb. 7, and continue through April 1.

Devon Manuel already entered the portal on Dec. 4. Ty’Kieast Crawford has announced that he plans to be back for a super senior season. Rising senior Joshua Braun is still on the roster, and Brady Latham could opt to return for his super senior season.

Arkansas has already added 6-foot-5, 315-pound Keyshawn Blackstock, a portal find from Michigan State.

Su’a, who did not allow a sack during his senior year at Bentonville, and registered 56 pancake blocks, chose Arkansas over BYU, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan State, Oregon and others.

Arkansas Football: Offseason Depth Chart – Offensive Line

Arkansas needed to re-tool their offensive line this offseason, so here’s a glance at what the depth chart looks like ahead of next season.

We know that Arkansas will have a ton of weapons on offense next season, especially with the return of both KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders. However, that won’t mean much if the Razorbacks can’t get some solid play from another veteran-led offensive line.

In Arkansas’ projected two-deep, they’ll have three seniors, one junior and three sophomores, with five of them having SEC experience.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag] is entering his third full-time season in Fayetteville. Last year’s offensive line was a little more experienced than this year’s bunch following the departures of Ricky Stromberg (drafted to Washington in third round of NFL Draft) and Dalton Wagner (signed free agent deal with Las Vegas).

With Stromberg gone, Kennedy needed to do some re-shuffling up front to find an experienced center and help some new pieces fit seamlessly.

Here’s a glance at the two-deep for Arkansas’ offensive line entering next season.

Which transfers are expected to start for Razorbacks?

Which offensive transfer additions on the offensive side of the ball are expected to start for the Razorbacks in 2023?

Arkansas will be impacted by transfer additions at every offensive position group except for running back in 2023, a position where the Razorbacks return 99.6 percent of the productivity from the 2022 season.

Arkansas is losing their top three wide receivers from last season – Jadon Haselwood and Matt Landers declared for the NFL Draft, while Ketron Jackson transferred to Baylor.

The group amassed a total of 134 receptions, 2,058 yards, and 16 touchdowns. This accounts for 58 percent of the receptions, 67 percent of the yardage, and 62 percent of the touchdown catches from the previous year.

Seven of the 18 transfers who are now enrolled or enrolling at Arkansas are offensive players.

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

Florida’s offensive line was fairly strong in 2021. Returning three starters and adding a preseason AP All-American should help the unit build on what it accomplished last year.

The last group on offense left to go through in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida football roster is the offensive line.

Twenty-two players deep, the offensive line is the biggest group on the list, but [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has recently said that the team only has around eight players in the position room ready for gameday action. The starting unit seems fairly well-defined as fall camp comes to a close, and there are a few rotational pieces that should lighten the load on those starters.

Guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] was the big addition to the room via the transfer portal, and UF is returning three starters to the line. Last year’s unit was quite strong, allowing just 14 sacks, finishing seventh in college football in average sacks allowed per game and finishing 23rd in team rushing yards per game. If the returning players can build on the SEC experience they’ve gained over the years, and Torrence can live up to his preseason All-American status, then Florida should be in for another strong year up front.

Here’s a look at all 22 offensive linemen on the Gators’ 2022 fall football roster.

Florida offensive lineman Joshua Braun imperative for his team’s success in 2021

Florida offensive guard Joshua Braun can help the team develop a stronger running game because of his experience in 2020 and high school.

It’s hard to imagine a 6-foot-6-inch and 356-pound offensive lineman excelling in a sport besides basketball, weightlifting or wrestling. But Florida offensive guard Joshua Braun defied the odds. He qualified for the 2019 FHSAA Class 2A State Quarterfinals in the individual doubles section. The sport taught him how to be quick on his feet that helped him see playing time as a freshman.

His father also helped him because he was his high school’s offensive coordinator that allowed him to arrive on campus technically sound. Because of these factors and his playing time last season, Braun will be critical for the Gators’ success in 2021.

[exco_embed id=”e5869bc6-faf6-4b7a-8c06-b5610c96a8fe”]

Florida needs the offensive line to take a step forward in the running game this season. The key pieces to its aerial attack like quarterback Kyle Trask, wide receiver Kadarius Toney and tight end Kyle Pitts will play on Sundays instead of Saturdays now in the NFL. The Gators also have a new quarterback in Emory Jones that vastly varies from Trask’s style. Because of these losses, coach Dan Mullen will transform his offense to become more run-oriented.

The offensive line unit has seen a dropoff in yards per carry since Florida’s 10-year high in 2018. It fell to 4.29 in 2020 from 5.27 when Mullen first arrived.

Braun can help the Gators improve in this area because his high school football team concentrated on running the ball, and that’s one of his biggest strengths as an offensive lineman. He’ll also be valuable because he’s flexible. Braun is built like a tall guard but has experience at tackle to swing out there if there is an injury.

If Florida wants to have another successful season like 2020, it needs its offensive line unit to improve its run blocking ability. Braun could be a key piece that helps the Gators accomplish that.

[lawrence-related id=46484,46462,46417,46382,46376]

2020 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Joshua Braun

This is a prospect player profile for offensive tackle Joshua Braun of the Florida Gators football recruiting class of 2020.

Name: Joshua Braun

Position: Offensive Tackle

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 335 lbs

Hometown: Live Oak, Fla.

High School: Suwannee High School

247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

A four-star recruit from Live Oak, Braun makes the short jaunt down I-75 to join the Gators in Gainesville. The No. 21 offensive tackle in the 2020 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite, Braun is the second-highest rated offensive lineman in UF’s class.

He has excellent size at 6-foot-6, 335 pounds, though he may need to slim down a bit before he’s ready to compete for significant playing time. However, with offensive line help being the team’s greatest need, he has a good chance to compete for a starting position (or at the very least a prominent role in the rotation) as a true freshman this season.

Braun was a huge get for coach Dan Mullen, as this time last year, he seemed destined to be heading to Athens to play for rival Georgia. The Gators got in early, securing an official visit from Braun last May, but he committed to the Bulldogs in June and held firm on that commitment through the fall. However, just a week before the early signing period, Braun decommitted from Georgia on Dec. 11 and gave his pledge to UF two days later. He early enrolled with the team and began participating in practices leading up to the Orange Bowl against Virginia.

Though he’s built like a tackle, the earliest path to the field for Braun may be on the interior, as UF’s guard depth chart is filled with underclassmen, meaning his early enrollment could give the talented newcomer a leg up over others in the class.

Video:

[protected-iframe id=”f77b42a972420cc65f11b62c7b644a52-170030122-27167360″ info=”//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8062879/5b816eac6e8c4c0f683c63be” width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″]

[vertical-gallery id=18514]