Tag: Micah Mazzccua

Every player transfering to Nebraska for 2024

Since becoming Nebraska’s head football coach, Matt Rhule has not been afraid to use the transfer portal.

Since becoming Nebraska’s head football coach, Matt Rhule has not been afraid to use the transfer portal. 2024 has already seen six players commit to the Cornhuskers.

The Huskers currently rank 20th in On3’s 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Nebraska has also seen ten players depart the program since the portal opened at the end of the regular season.

Four of the six incoming players come from the offensive side of the ball, with three of those players coming from skill positions. Coach Rhule has previously discussed the types of players he looks for in the transfer portal.

“The portal for me, I either want to get someone with multiple years, no matter the position, that’s on caliber with the guys we have. Or someone who is an instant impact upgrade. Someone who can make a difference.”

You can find a complete list of all six commits below.

Florida’s starting OL to seek greener pastures through transfer portal

This transfer portal departure punches a big hole in Florida’s O-line.

Florida football has seen a large chunk of talent depart through the NCAA transfer portal over the past couple of months and on Thursday the program got some more bad news.

Starting offensive tackle [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag], who started at right guard for the Gators in 11 out of 12 games this past fall, will be seeking greener pastures according to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz. He joins reserve offensive linemen Jordan Herman and Jalen Farmer as members of the 2023 O-line to have now departed.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 325-pound trench warrior was one of the top players at his position in the portal last year when he left the Baylor Bears to replace O’Cyrus Torrence in Gainesville. He re-enters college football’s de facto free agency system with one year of eligibility remaining.

Mazzccua played 743 snaps for the Gators in 2023 and 759 snaps for the Bears in 2022, starting 11 games in the latter. The year prior, he started nine games for Baylor’s Big 12 Championship team.

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, product is rated at four stars and ranked No. 180 overall and No. 11 as an interior offensive lineman according to the 247Sports transfer rankings.

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Billy Napier provides status updates on two key Florida linemen

The Florida Gators were missing a good chunk of their offensive line against Charlotte, but the unit could be back at 100% for Kentucky.

Florida spent the first half of Saturday’s game against Charlotte without three of its starting offensive linemen.

Right tackle Damieon George Jr. and right guard Micah Mazzccua were suspended for the first half of the game after getting too rough with the Tennessee players after a late hit a week ago. George came back in to play the second half alongside tight end Dante Zanders, also suspended for the brawl, but Mazzccua sat the entire game.

Napier explained on Saturday that it was a little bit of “in-house discipline,” and confirmed that Mazzccua would be back on Saturday.

The biggest question mark is still the man in the middle, though. Center Kingsley Eguakun sat against Charlotte to rest an ankle injury he suffered during fall camp. Eguakun played against Tennessee after missing the first two games of the year, and he’s expected to participate in practices for the rest of the week.

Still, Napier isn’t speaking as if it’s a certainty that Eguakun plays on Saturday.

“I think it’s to be determined,” Napier said Monday. “I think that he’s made progress. We anticipate him practicing tomorrow. I’ll be able to let you know Wednesday.”

If Eguakun can’t go, Jake Slaughter should start in his place at center once again.

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Suspensions given to offensive linemen, tight end after late-game scrum

Late-game fight with Tennessee turns into three suspensions for the Florida Gators.

Suspensions have been handed out by the SEC to three members of the Florida Gators offense after a late-game scuffle.

Linemen Damieon George, Micah Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders are suspended for the first half of Florida’s matchup against the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday.

Quarterback Graham Mertz and the Florida Gators were ready to snap the ball from the victory formation and seal the upset over the visiting Tennessee Volunteers.

Mertz started to play and realized he had time to kill, so he started to stall in the backfield while the Vols defense gave a half-effort getting to the quarterback.

Volunteer defender Omari Brown was a tad too late and took a shot on Mertz, even though the quarterback was already attempting to end the play. The Gators immediately jumped into action and confronted Brown, but he was trying to play innocent.

Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden jumped in to challenge the Gators to a brawl and the end of the game was about to get ugly. Mazzccua was the first to start swinging while other action happened near the Gators’ bench.

The SEC Offices released an official statement on Monday afternoon.

“The suspensions were determined after further video review and consultation between the Southeastern Conference Office, the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee,” the statement read.

“Offensive lineman Damieon George, offensive lineman Micha Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders of Florida will be suspended for the first half of the Gators’ game with Charlotte on Saturday in Gainesville. Defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott of Tennessee will be suspended for the first half of the Volunteers’ game with UTSA on Saturday in Knoxville.”

Head coach Billy Napier also said there will be internal punishment for the players involved in the late-game scrum.

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2023 Florida Football Position Preview: Offensive Line (Guards/Centers)

The interior of Florida’s offensive line will feature a ton of new faces in 2023, but Kingsley Eguakun is still there holding things down in the center.

The lone returning starter on the offensive line at Florida this season will be center Kingsley Eguakun. However, Billy Napier still has to replace both starting guards in 2023 after losing O’Cyrus Torrence to the NFL and Ethan White to the transfer portal.

Naturally, Billy Napier hit the portal himself to find some experienced talent to fill out the interior of his offensive line. There’s bound to be some dropoff from last year’s line that only allowed 13 sacks during the regular season and helped rushers average 5.8 yards per carry, though.

Napier will also use some of the team’s homegrown talent, and some freshmen are also starting to make a name for themselves. Of course, it takes more than five linemen to get through a game, so plenty of the backups should see action.

Here’s a look at every center and guard on Florida’s 2023 fall roster.

Florida offensive lineman ready to take next step in return from injury

Florida offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua took the next step in his return from shoulder surgery on Wednesday as he ditched his non-contact jersey at training camp.

When [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] transferred to Florida from Baylor, many expected him to compete for a starting role in the Gators’ 2023 offensive line rotation.

A shoulder injury during spring practice set him back, but Mazzccua is now out of his non-contact jersey and a “normal participant” at camp, according to Swamp247. A Wednesday return means head coach Billy Napier won’t provide an update until the start of next week, but seeing him out of the black jersey is a very positive sign for an offensive line unit that’s a little banged up.

Right now, Austin Barber and Dameion George are likely to hold down the tackle positions, and center Kinglsey Eguakun is the lone returning starter up front for Florida. Mazzccua started 19 games for Baylor over the past two seasons, so he should fit right into one of the guard spots.

Richie Leonard just recently put on a non-contact jersey at camp, so Mazzccua could get work on either side. Reports indicate that freshman Knijeah Harris has stood out early and could be in the mix at right guard to keep Mazzccua on the left side. Redshirt freshman Jalen Farmer is another option.

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San Diego State transfer OL sets May official visit date with Florida

Florida’s looking to add some more pieces to its offensive line and former San Diego State lineman Josh Simmons might be a name to keep an eye on.

The Gators are looking to add to their offensive line room during the spring transfer portal period, and San Diego State’s [autotag]Josh Simmons[/autotag] is one of the top targets for Florida, according to Swamp247.

Billy Napier’s recruiting staff has been working to get Simmons on campus for a while, and now he’s locked in for an official visit May 5. The spring portal is open from April 15-30, so that means he’ll be in town after it closes. He could still commit and transfer sight unseen, though.

Simmons started all 13 games for San Diego State a year ago and finished the season one snap shy of 800. That’s enough of a sample size for draft experts to consider him a potential prospect, and getting reps in against the SEC would be the best way for him to keep his draft stock on the rise.

Florida added guard [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] and tackles [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag] and [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] during the winter portal period, but it became apparent during spring practices and the Orange and Blue Game that Napier needed to add another player or two to the trenches.

Simmons fits the bill perfectly. He doesn’t necessarily have to step into a starting role right away, but he has the experience to do so if the team needs him to.

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Florida OL announces transfer plans on Twitter, then deletes tweet

Is Florida losing one of its recent transfers to the portal? The situation still remains unclear, but here’s what we know.

Florida offensive lineman [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] took to Twitter Thursday night to thank Billy Napier and his staff for their time and announce his intentions to reenter the NCAA transfer portal after just a few months with the Gators.

By Friday afternoon, that tweet was deleted and it’s currently unclear what Mazzccua’s future is with the team. He made the move as a fourth-year junior from Baylor two months ago and was in line to play decent snaps for the Gators as a potential starter.

“Appreciate coach Napier and his staff but I feel it’s best for me to put myself back in the portal,” Mazzccua wrote in the now-deleted tweet.

Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun noted that Mazzccua had been practicing through injury and was seen working with the second team on Tuesday behind redshirt freshman Christian Williams. Mazzccua missed Thursday’s practice before making the announcement.

The problem with transferring for Mazzccua is that he’s already done so once this offseason and making another move would likely cost him a year of football without a waiver. April 15 is the first day players can actually enter the portal so he has just over three weeks to get things straightened out with Florida.

Mazzccua departing would be a major loss for the program, regardless of the reason. Florida needs to replace four starters on the offensive line before the season starts, and Mazzccua was brought in to take up a good chunk of those snaps.

Gators Wire will continue to provide updates as this story develops.

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Five incoming Florida transfers make 247Sports top-150 rankings

247Sports updated its transfer rankings on Wednesday and five incoming Gators are ranked inside the top 150.

The Florida Gators brought in 10 players through the transfer portal over the winter and four of them made the final update to the 247Sports Top150 transfer rankings.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag] is the highest-ranked Gator on the list. The Louisville transfer is No. 82 overall on the Top150 with a transfer grade of 91. Kentucky offensive tackle transfer [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] is next up at No. 96, and Memphis defensive line transfer [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag] is just outside the top 100 at No. 110 overall.

Baylor offensive guard transfer [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] is No. 138 on the list and former Wisconsin quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] rounds things out at No. 150. Both have a transfer grade of 90, meaning Florida is bringing in five players of the caliber or better.

On the other hand, Florida lost two players ranked in the top 150, offensive guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] (No. 131) to USC and defensive back [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] (No. 143) to Pittsburgh.

The hope is that White’s departure will be offset by Mazzccua, but there’s no clear replacement for McMillon. Fortunately, the Gators focused heavily on defensive backs in the most recent recruiting cycle.

Although they didn’t make 247Sports’ list of the top transfers, Florida is counting on guys like linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag], running back [autotag]Cameron Carroll[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag] to contribute. There was a ton of roster turnover during the offseason and there are several starting spots up for grabs.

It’s too early to tell how well Florida did in the transfer portal this offseason, but the early returns seem good.

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Florida’s offensive line a key focus for ESPN heading into 2023

Florida’s offensive line was a major reason the team wasn’t a complete disaster in 2022, and now the Gators have to replace four starters in the trenches.

Florida’s offensive line was among the best in the SEC and college football a season ago. Unfortunately, the Gators are replacing four starters on the offensive line after losing a pair of seniors to the NFL draft and two more to Southern California via the transfer portal.

UF will have center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] returning, but gone are left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag], left guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag], right guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag]. Replacing those four is the top storyline of Florida’s spring, according to ESPN’s Chris Low and Hary Lyles Jr., who dove into each SEC program at the start of spring ball.

The Gators brought in three transfers on the offensive line over the offseason. Alabama‘s [autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. and former five-star Kentucky signee [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] should get a shot to play tackle for Florida along with a returning [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], and Baylor transfers [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] should step immediately into one of the vacant starting guard spots.

While it is almost a complete turnover in the trenches, Florida fans should still feel confident, according to Low and Lyles.

“The Gator faithful should feel confident in the abilities of offensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] to get this group together, given their track record with [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s great offensive lines at Louisiana, which produced multiple NFL draft picks,” the ESPN story read.

Low and Lyles also pointed a newcomer on the team to watch and chose to pick a player that will be behind the offensive line transfers mentioned above. Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] will be competing with [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] for the starting quarterback job, and his experience in the Big Ten might give him the upper leg. Both he and the offensive line need to excel for Florida to have a bounce-back year.

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