Tag: Kingsley Eguakun

5-star offensive tackle blown away by ‘crazy’ Florida visit

It would be HUGE if the Gators can land this offensive lineman.

As summer continues to creep in, Florida football’s recruiting efforts have matched the rising temperatures as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. continue to impress some of the best prospects in the nation who have made their way to the Swamp so far. Among those was five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag] out of Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy, who arrived in town on Tuesday and stayed until Thursday on his official visit to Gainesville.

The native of ‘Ili’ili, American Samoa, had seen the sights around the Swamp a few times prior, but his official stop saw the red carpet rolled out for the 6-foot-5-inch, 330-pound lineman. Mauigoa’s connection with a couple of current Gators from his time at IMG, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag], added to his positive experience.

“This OV was crazy,” he told Swamp247. “It was one of my favorite OV’s now. Keep on coming back here, you start to feel like more of a relationship. Kind of starting to feel that bond and now I am comfortable with them. I think that is one of the biggest things in recruiting. I just felt the hospitality, I felt the love, and the family bond through the coaches from the coaches to the players.”

The blue-chip recruit also got a chance to hobnob with the entire football staff including offensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag], all of whom made a strong impression on the young athlete.

“We had a meeting with them and they’re some cool dudes,” Mauigoa told Gators Online. “They showed me a lot of things, taught me a lot of things. I was in the meeting room with them and going through film. They are constantly fixing their mistakes and going down the line making sure everything is taken care of.”

The coveted recruit currently has the Alabama Crimson Tide, USC Trojans, Tennessee Volunteers, Miami Hurricanes and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, along with the Gators, as his preferred collegiate destinations. Florida was the second stop on his summer tour after passing through Tuscaloosa last weekend, with the Vols, Trojans and ‘Canes coming up next. The Aloha State got an unofficial visit on June 1.

Mauigoa is currently ranked No. 9 overall and No. 1 nationally at his position according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus him at Nos. 10 and 2, respectively. Tennessee currently holds the edge on his recruitment with a 59.7% chance of signing him per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, with USC in second at 33.6%, UM third at 2.6% and UF trailing in fourth at 1.2%.

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Florida’s offensive line is unexpectedly one of the best in college football

The big men up front are performing better than most expected for Florida this year.

Florida’s offensive line didn’t get much love heading into the season. They were ranked solidly in the middle of the SEC as a unit by both The Athletic and 247sports over the summer. But the tune is changing when it comes to the biggest Gators as Florida’s rushing attack remains one of the best in the nation after three weeks of football.

Only Michigan has more yards on the ground than Florida at 1,051 to the Gators’ 1,007, and the Wolverines didn’t face Alabama‘s defense. The Gators have exploded for 30 rushes of 10 yards or more this season, and the offensive line has only allowed 2 sacks. Not only has the offensive line surpassed all expectations, but it’s also performing at an elite level.

One of the reasons the unit is working so well is the emergence of redshirt sophomore Kingsley Eguakun as the team’s starting center. Starting quarterback Emory Jones has called him the “voice of the O-line,” according to The Athletic, and Eguakun admits it took some time to develop the maturity needed for the position.

Offensive line coach John Hevesy may have missed on some recruits recently, but his group’s play this season has to help him at some point. Florida was a pass-heavy school with Kyle Trask at quarterback last year, but it’s all running this year with a strong line to lean on.

“Personally, I really like running the ball, you know what I mean?” Eguakun said to 247Sports. “I think as an O-line we have a different mentality now. Like, we really want to come off the ball and knock people back and assert our dominance on people.”

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Kingsley Eguakun could be the starting center in 2021

Kingsley Eguakun could be Florida’s starting center after appearing in 14 games as a reserve his first two years.

Name: Kingsley Eguakun

Number: 65

Position: Offensive Line

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 303 lbs

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

High School: Sandalwood

Twitter: @Keguakun

2020 statistics:

Appeared in all 12 games as a reserve.

Overview:

A three-star recruit out of Jacksonville, Eguakun was originally committed to play for the Gators’ rival down south in Miami. He committed to the Hurricanes in January of his junior year of high school and held to that commitment for a while. But Florida got into the running late in his recruiting process, offering him on Nov. 27.

Less than a week later on Dec. 2, he flipped to UF, signing 17 days later and then enrolling in January. Eguakun redshirted his first year on campus in 2019, though he appeared in two games as a reserve.

He only saw reserve action again as a redshirt freshman in 2020, but this time he appeared in every game. Most of his playing time came at center, and it prepared him to potentially take on a bigger role in 2021.

According to reports from practice, Eguakun has been competing for the starting center job, which could allow Florida more flexibility in determining its final lineup. Eguakun will hope his third season is the one where he makes a major impact.

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Kingsley Eguakun reportedly fighting for starting center job

Eguakun has seen a lot of reps at center with the first-teamers, and if he’s capable of starting, it would give UF a lot more flexibility.

The offensive line may be one of Florida’s most experienced position groups, but it’s certainly not one the team feels that it can rely on. In fact, it may be the biggest weakness on the entire roster (it certainly is on the offensive side of the ball).

Florida’s pass protection was solid in 2020, allowing quarterback Kyle Trask to have a record-setting season through the air. But its run blocking was abysmal, and that’s cause for concern heading into 2021. Likely new starter Emory Jones is a different player than Trask with a very different skillset.

Mobility is a much bigger part of his game, and making use of that will be predicated on the success of the option. But if Florida’s going to be a much more run-heavy team than it’s been the last two years under Dan Mullen, the offensive line will have to take a step up.

Three starters on the offensive line return, but the two most consistent players from last season — center Brett Heggie and left tackle Stone Forsythe — are now gone. Florida returns Richard Gouraige, Jean Delance and Stewart Reese, but based on reports from fall camp, it could be looking to shake things up in the starting lineup.

Kingsley Eguakun is reportedly seeing a lot of action at center, and there seems to be a widely held belief that he could win the starting job there. The Jacksonville native enters his redshirt sophomore season having appeared in 14 career games, including every game last season.

Mullen praised Eguakun’s work ethic, according to 247Sports’ Thomas Goldkamp.

“Kingsley’s really been a guy that’s embraced it,” Mullen said. “We rotate; in spring we rotate a lot of guys through because you’ve got to have depth at that position. The other positions you’ve got to block but there’s an extra skill involved with the snap at that position so you want to create depth. He’s a guy that really kind of jumped and embraced that role.”

According to Goldkamp, Reese, Ethan White and Richard Leonard all have seen action there, with the bulk of the reps in the spring being taken by Reese.

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That’s who many assumed would win the starting center job, but if Eguakun is good enough to start, it offers the team a lot more flexibility. Gouraige and White can retain their respective tackle and guard spots, while Reese could slide to guard. That would allow the Gators to play Josh Braun at tackle and potentially replace Delance, who has struggled and is generally considered to be the weakest link in the starting group.

But if White or Reese have to play center, Braun would then play guard. That would really leave Florida with no one else to play at right tackle other than Delance.

Eguakun’s strong fall camp is a positive sign for the Gators, and they’ll have a lot more freedom in determining their starting group if he’s capable of being a part of it.

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