Tag: Michael Tarquin

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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Florida OL Ethan White commits to USC transfer

Another Florida offensive lineman is headed to Los Angeles to play for the USC Trojans in 2023.

Former Florida offensive lineman [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] committed to Southern California on Monday after spending just under a month in the transfer portal.

White joined the Gators as a member of the 2019 recruiting class and appeared in six games for Florida as a true freshman. His sophomore year ended early thanks to an injury, but the COVID-19 ruling gave him an extra year of eligibility to make up for it. He’d start 20 games at left guard for Florida over the next two seasons and help anchor an offensive line that limited opponents to 1.3 sacks per game in 2022.

He earned an AP All-SEC Second Team nod for his efforts, and his decision to transfer shocked most Gators fans. Nobody was in line to take over for him next year, and Billy Napier wouldn’t have brought in as many transfers without his departure.

Pro Football Focus gave White an offensive grade of 70.0 last year, which breaks down to 76.3 as a pass blocker and 68.5 as a run blocker. His highest-graded year came in 2020 when he received an 82.4 as a pass blocker and a 72.1 overall, but White only took 186 snaps that season (compared to 718 in 2022).

He’ll join another former Gator offensive lineman at USC, tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] who committed to the Trojans just before the turn of the year.

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UF hosting former Alabama OL on official visit

Florida needs to add some more offensive linemen through the transfer portal, so the Gators are hosting a former SEC tackle on an official visit over the weekend.

The Florida Gators are currently hosting former Alabama offensive lineman [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag] on an official visit, according to an Instagram story sent out on Friday.

George saw his role reduced in 2022 as part of the Crimson Tide’s offensive line reserve rotation after seeing over 250 snaps in 2021. He took over the starting right tackle job at the end of his sophomore campaign, so the expectation was for him to play more than 20 snaps in 2022. When that didn’t happen, Georgia hit the transfer portal.

Checking out Florida makes a lot of sense for George. He can stay in the dominant SEC and find immediate playing time with Florida if he chooses the Gators. The Gators need to replace four starting offensive linemen and at least one tackle spot with [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] and [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] leaving town.

George was a three-star prospect ranked No. 390 overall by the 247Sports composite when he signed with Alabama as a member of the class of 2020. He’s ranked No. 131 overall in 247Sports’ transfer rankings and is among the top remaining linemen in the portal. He will have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he goes.

George will fit in nicely to Florida’s right tackle spot with Austin Barber likely to take over for Gouraige on the left side. He’s a more polished pass blocker than he is a run blocker, so it’s sort of a match made in heaven. At 6-feet-6-inches and 333 pounds, he definitely has the size to get the job done in the Swamp.

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Florida hosting this Miami OL on official visit after landing in top 4

After losing most of its 2022 starting offensive line, Florida is looking to replenish the trenches through the transfer portal.

With the recruiting dead period for high school seniors in place until Jan. 13, Florida is taking advantage of the Jan. 4-8 window that transfer players are allowed to make official visits. On Thursday, Miami offensive lineman [autotag]John Campbell[/autotag] will be on campus for an official visit with the Gators, according to 247Sports.

The visit is planned through Friday, but this won’t be Campbell’s first chance to check out the Swamp. He made several trips to UF during his high school recruitment but never made it to Gainesville for an official visit before committing to Miami. He played in 34 games for the Hurricanes in total, including 18 starts.

On Tuesday, Campbell released a top four of Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and USC. He’s already taken an official visit to FSU and Florida is next on the itinerary.

With both of Florida’s starting tackles in 2022 moving on from the program, Campbell could find himself starting at left tackle for Florida if he transfers. [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] is off to the NFL and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] is in the transfer portal, leaving [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] as the lone experienced option on the team.

The Gators have already brought in a handful of transfers and expect to stay busy through the cycle. So far, Florida has added Wisconsin quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], Ohio State linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag], Memphis defensive lineman [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag] and Louisville defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag].

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Former Gators OT Michael Tarquin commits to USC

Another Gator has found a new home through the transfer portal. Offensive tackle Michael Tarquin is headed to Southern California.

Former Florida offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] is headed to the West Coast, according to a social media post he sent out on Friday.

Tarquin announced his plans to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 22 and has found a home just over a week later with the USC Trojans. He started the season as Florida’s first-string right tackle and ended up serving in that role for seven of his eight appearances with Florida this year. An injury forced him to sit for four games early in the season, earning [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] some significant playing time.

Pro Football Focus gave Tarquin a season pass-blocking grade of 76.4, with his strongest performance (81.6) coming against Texas A&M in Week 10. He struggled against South Carolina (56.8), but made up for it with one of his best run-blocking games of the season (73.6). He committed just four penalties during the season and allowed just six hurries on the quarterback while not allowing a single sack.

USC’s gain here is a major loss for Florida. The Gators are down four starting offensive linemen this offseason and need to replace what was considered the best line in the SEC this year. Tarquin was the expected starting right tackle in 2023, but now he’ll likely take over that spot for the Trojans.

There’s a chance that he shifts over to left tackle, having played some of the position during his time in Gainesville. Tarquin received a four-star grade from 247Sports as a transfer prospect and has two years of eligibility remaining.

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Another Florida offensive lineman will enter the transfer portal

Florida is now losing four of its five starting linemen to the NFL draft or transfer portal.

On Saturday, Florida left guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, meaning the Gators will return just one starter to the offensive line next season.

White’s announcement comes just a day after right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] moved on from the program, and only center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] will return in 2023. White started all 13 games this season for Florida and was a major part of the team’s elite offensive line. He was expected to start again next year after an All-SEC year in 2022.

“I want to thank Coach Mullen and Coach Hevesy for giving me the opportunity to represent my home state and The University of Florida for 4 years, as well as Coach Napier and his staff for continuing my development over the past year,” White wrote in a Twitter post. “I will be entering the transfer portal.”

White joined the team in 2019 as a three-star recruit and saw early action, playing in six games his freshman year. An injury ended his 2020 season early and once again battled health issues in 2021 but started seven of the eight games he appeared in. 2022 was his first full season and he shined.

Replacing White won’t be easy. The Gators have four offensive linemen joining the program this year: [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag],  [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Livingston[/autotag] (a class of 2022 commit who gray-shirted and signed in December).

Of course, none of those players have taken a college snap yet, so Billy Napier might need to dip into the transfer portal himself to restock the line.

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Florida OT Michael Tarquin entering transfer portal

Another Gator has hit the transfer portal, and now Florida might have some serious depth issues on the offensive line.

The Florida Gators will need to add some more depth to the offensive line after losing another player to the transfer portal. Offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] announced his decision to enter the portal on Thursday despite being a contender for a starting spot next season.

Tarquin began the year as the Gators’ starting right tackle but suffered an injury against Kentucky in Week 2 that kept him out for four games. Austin Barber emerged as an effective replacement, but Tarquin ended up playing in Florida’s final six games at his usual spot once healthy.

Some have called this the first true surprise of the transfer cycle for Florida. Tarquin was a presumed starter for next year’s club with left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] headed to the pros. Even if the staff favors Barber, shifting him over to the left side would allow Florida to play two experienced tackles on the offensive line. Now, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has to do some portal work of his own to replace three-fifths of the starting unit ([autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] is headed to the NFL as well).

Napier said that the team was looking to add more players through the transfer portal during his early signing day press conference, and the Gators have been linked to Rhode Island transfer tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag].

In-house options to take over Tarquin’s spot include Louisiana transfer [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], freshman [autotag]David Conner[/autotag] and incoming freshmen [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Livingston[/autotag].

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Taking a look at Florida’s depth chart ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl

The Las Vegas Bowl is almost here and Florida is working with a different look roster after a busy start to the transfer season.

Florida’s depth chart for the Las Vegas Bowl looks a whole lot different from the opening-day roster, but that’s expected as players leave for the draft, enter the transfer portal and suffer injuries over the course of the year.

Starting with the offense, Florida is down players at every position but running back. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is making his first start at quarterback with [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] headed to the NFL, and walk-on [autotag]Kyle Engel[/autotag] true will serve as the backup. True freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] is listed as the third-string option under center.

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] are the only available running backs on Saturday, but that duo has the bulk of Florida’s carries over the season so it shouldn’t be a problem.

[autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] is preparing for the draft, which means [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] is the new No. 1 out wide for the Gators. True freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] gets the No. 2 spot (and his second start) with [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] in the transfer portal, and [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is still in the slot. Despite losing some talent from the receivers room, Florida is in an okay spot heading into the bowl game.

At tight end, [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is still dealing with an injury, meaning [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] is the starter once again. [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] was productive as the team’s second tight end towards the end of the season and will get another shot to audition for next year against Oregon State.

Florida’s offensive line features a new face: Redshirt freshman [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], who will get his first start at right guard with O’Cyrus Torrence headed to the pros. Left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] is also going to the NFL, but he could start in the bowl game and is officially listed as an “or” option along with [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag]. [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinglsey Eguakun[/autotag] remain at left guard and center, and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] returns to the right tackle spot. Christian Williams could see an increase in snaps as the primary backup for either guard spot with [autotag]Richie Leonard[/autotag] injured.

Now on to the defense.

Florida’s defensive line looks the same as it was through the final few games of the season: [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Princely Umanimielen[/autotag] at defensive end, [autotag]Desmond Watson [/autotag]at nose tackle and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland J[/autotag]r. at the JACK linebacker spot. The big change in the front seven comes at [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]’s linebacker spot which now belongs to [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag]. [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] is the other starting linebacker, but expect [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] to get some work in too.

In the secondary, [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] remain as Florida’s starting cornerbacks, and [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] will get another run at their respective safety spots. [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] is stepping in for an injured [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] at the STAR, but that shouldn’t disrupt the defense too much.

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This Gator was named to College Football News’ Freshman All-American First Team

Florida saw a few freshmen break out in 2022, but you might be surprised by which Gator made College Football News’ Freshman All-American First Team.

When talking about Florida’s standout freshmen in 2022, names like [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] and [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] quickly come to mind, but it’s offensive tackle [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] who made College Football News’ Freshman All-American First Team on Tuesday.

Etienne and James received honorable mentions, but it’s Barber who has cemented himself as one of the top young offensive linemen in the country. He started the season as Florida’s sixth offensive lineman but quickly stepped into a starting role once right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] went down. Barber ended up starting five games for UF and playing over 600 snaps this season.

Pro Football Focus gave Barber an offensive grade of 80.7, which is good for 12th best among players that aren’t draft eligible this year. The numbers say he’s a better run blocker (80.3) than a pass blocker (75.9), but he’s got at least another year to get even better. Florida’s offensive line allowed just 15 sacks this season, which is good for the second-best number in the SEC and a share of the No. 15 spot nationally.

Etienne’s honorable mention status might surprise some Gators fans, but splitting carries with [autotag]Montrell Johnson J[/autotag]r. (and [autotag]Nay’Quan Wrigh[/autotag]t early in the year) ate into his production. He finished the year with 705 yards and six touchdowns on 110 carries.

James played in all 12 games for the Gators and started three of those en route to a 40-tackle season that ranked second among SEC true freshmen. He should be a starter for the Gators next season with the departure of [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag].

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Florida G O’Cyrus Torrence listed on injury report ahead of LSU game

Florida might be without its best offensive lineman on Saturday. Here’s what Billy Napier had to say about O’Cyrus Torrence being listed as questionable:

Offensive guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] is questionable for Florida’s upcoming game against the LSU Tigers, according to the Gators’ Week 7 depth chart.

Losing Torrence for any length of time would impact Florida’s offense significantly. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the No. 1 guard in all of college football and he’s anchored the right side of Florida’s line for all six games this year. Florida’s running game might not see the same success if he can’t go on Saturday.

Head coach Billy Napier fielded questions from the media during his weekly availability Wednesday night and was optimistic that Torrence would play despite his inclusion on the injury report.

“I think we’ll be okay,” Napier said when asked about Torrence’s injury. “We’re just telling you the truth. He’s a guy who hasn’t participated 100% in practice, and we’ll make some decisions over the next couple days.”

If Torrence can’t go, Florida will go with [autotag]Richie Leonard IV[/autotag] at right guard and have Jalen Farmer as a backup. UF listed Leonard as the backup left guard last week, so Torrence is clearly banged up enough for the team to make some changes to the rotation in case they are actually without him,

The good news in the trenches is that [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] is off the injury report and listed as “OR” option at right tackle with [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], who has earned a shot to keep the starting job over the last few weeks. PFF says Barber is a top-20 tackle in the Power Five right now, but Tarquin has the better pass-blocking grade.

Torrence could end up being a game-time decision on Saturday, but he’s not the kind of player to take a game off unless he’s forced to. He’s playing himself into a first-round grade, so staying healthy is important.

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