The lone Florida Gator listed as questionable on initial SEC Availability Report this week, offensive lineman Roderick Kearney, has been downgraded to out.
Florida downgraded offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] from questionable to out in its Thursday night update to the SEC Availability Report.
Six Gators are done for the season with season-ending injuries, but the Orange and Blue have played without a good chunk of the starting lineup for most of the season.
Kearney has appeared in six games for Florida, playing a season-high 19 snaps at right guard in a blowout loss against Texas. Florida will also be without offensive tackle Devon Manuel, who hasn’t played since Week 4 against Mississippi State.
The defensive secondary remains the most problematic group for Billy Napier, in terms of depth. Starting cornerbacks Jason Marshall Jr. and Devin Moore remain out — Marshall is done for the season with a torn ACL and Moore hasn’t played since going down in Week 10 against Georgia — and backup Ja’Keem Jackson hasn’t played since Week 2 against Samford.
Starting safety Asa Turner has also missed most of the season after being injured against Miami in Week 1.
Quarterback Graham Mertz and wide receivers Eugene Wilson III and Kahleil Jackson are all done for the year as well. So are running back Treyaun Webb and defensive lineman Jamari Lyons, who broke his ankle in the preseason.
Linebacker Grayson Howard is missing his second game in a row after appearing on the initial availability report last week.
With no more players listed as questionable, Florida shouldn’t have any game-time decisions to worry about on Saturday against Ole Miss.
Players listed as “Out”
DB [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag]
DB [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. (season-ending injury)
WR [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] (season-ending injury)
The Gators play their final home game of the season against Ole Miss on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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Florida’s offensive line has been a bit of a question mark in recent years, but there’s returning talent at every position on the interior heading into 2024.
After looking at Florida’s offensive tackles, it’s time to review the interior offensive linemen on the Gators’ roster.
Offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Jon DeCoster need to replace all three starters on the interior this year. Center Kingsley Eguakun signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Detroit Lions, guard Richie Leonard transferred to FSU and Micah Mazzccua is now with Nebraska.
Fortunately, four-year veteran [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] is back and ready to be the full-time snapper, and there will be new starters at both guard positions this year.
Let’s take a look at each interior offensive lineman on Florida’s roster. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.
Slaughter returns as Florida’s starting center this year, and he’s arguably the team’s most reliable offensive lineman.
Slaughter started eight of 11 games last year in place of an injured Kingsley Eguakun and earned a 77.8 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus to lead the team. He’s as good of a pass blocker (78.4) as he is a run blocker (78.9), and he allowed just nine pressures over 306 opportunities.
If Austin Barber is the returning leader of the outside group, Slaughter is his counterpart on the interior. Entering his fourth year with the program, Florida will lean on Slaughter just as heavily as it did a year ago.
The Rimington Trophy selection committee included Slaughter on its preseason watch list.
Starting Left Guard: No. 77 Knijeah Harris (So.)
Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner
Following the departure of Mazzccua, sophomore [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] appears primed to step into the starting left guard spot for Florida.
Harris played nearly 170 snaps split between both guard positions last year. His lone start came against Charlotte, but he saw 10 or more snaps in five other games. Pro Football Focus gave him a 72.9 offensive grade, but that number is a bit skewed because he played most of his snaps against non-Power Four schools.
He’s a better pass blocker than run blocker. PFF consistently graded him out in the high 70s and low 80s throughout last season, regardless of opponent.
The big question will be how well the second-year player handles the increased workload. Fatigue begins to set in when you’re taking 500-plus snaps a season.
Starting Right Guard: No. Damieon George Jr. (R-Jr.)
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
Most fans will remember [autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. as the Alabama transfer who struggled to hold down the right tackle spot for Florida a season ago, but a move to the guard position should yield better results.
Florida’s coaching staff feels George is better suited to play on the interior — he’s better against the run than the pass — and he’s replaced “17 and a half pounds of fat with 16 pounds of lean mass”, according to Billy Napier.
“The biggest challenge for me last year I felt was my weight. I felt like I played too heavy and ultimately played a big role in some of my play late in games,” George said in April. “So just being able to finish out the games with the same intensity I started with was a big emphasis for me.”
Expect some growing pains, though. Despite practicing at guard a bit while at ‘Bama, this will be the first time George takes significant snaps at the position.
Backups: No. 71 Roderick Kearney (R-Fr.), No. 56 Christian Williams (R-So.)
Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner
Aside from the three projected starters, Florida is going to need at least two rotational pieces throughout the season on the interior — potentially more if injuries pop up.
The first name that comes to mind is redshirt freshman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], who didn’t see the field at all last year as a member of the scout team. Kearney can play all three interior positions, and versatility is a must for a non-starter. The jury is still out on how productive Kearney can be in Year 2, but he’s made great strides over the past year.
Then there’s redshirt sophomore [autotag]Christian Williams[/autotag], who has played all of 31 snaps over the past two seasons. Thanks to some strong numbers on PFF — 88.5 offensive grade, 78.9 as a pass blocker and 89.2 as a run blocker — there’s plenty of optimism surrounding Williams, despite his lack of experience. He’s mostly played left guard but could fit on either side if needed.
[autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] is another name worth keeping an eye on, especially if injuries hit the interior more than the exterior of the line. Like Kearney, Lovett did not appear in a game for Florida as a true freshman. He’s undergone a body transformation and is more confident in himself entering his second season. In spring, Lovett played all five offensive line positions, so he’s the definition of a flex player. There are also questions about the right side of the line, so he could get significant snaps later on in the year.
[autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] is another flex player that could fit into Florida’s plans for the interior. He played over 200 snaps at tackle last year, most of which came over the final two games of the season which he started. Waites is now a year and a half removed from his ACL injury and should be a key rotational piece on Florida’s offensive line this year.
Freshmen: No. 50 Jason Zandamela (Fr.), No. 74 Noel Portnjagin (Fr.), No. 78 Marcus Mascoll (Fr.) and No. 79 Enoch Wangoy
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
There are four new scholarship freshmen in Florida’s interior offensive line group, [autotag]Marcus Mascoll[/autotag], [autotag]Noel Portnjagin[/autotag], [autotag]Enoch Wangoy[/autotag] and [autotag]Jason Zandamela[/autotag], who transferred after a semester at USC.
Zandamela might have the most raw talent of the bunch, but he started learning the game in 2020. He’s spent the fall training at center, which explains some of the versatility shown by guys like Harris and Kearney. Zandamela was a four-star recruit out of high school who ranked in the top 30 of all transfers in the 2024 portal.
Portnjagin might have the best shot to see the field of the trio, however. He has experience in the German Football League and has been on campus since January. He has tackle size, but Florida plans to use him as a guard.
Mascoll played tackle in high school but could end up anywhere on the offensive line in Gainesville. Like Portnjagin, injuries could force him onto the field in a reserve role, but this is another likely redshirt.
Wangoy is another international product that started playing sports recently. He’s from England and played multiple sports at Zarephath Academy in Jacksonville. At 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, Wangoy has the size to play on the offensive line in the SEC, but it might take a few years for him to develop his technique.
In case 11 scholarship players isn’t enough, Florida has four walk-on offensive linemen on the roster to provide some depth.
Hayden Clem is the veteran of the group, entering his fourth year with the program. He made his debut last season during the McNeese game, earning a 74.1 offensive grade at left guard from Pro Football Focus.
Connor Homa and Bryan Rosenberg are both redshirt freshmen who are hoping to see the field for the first time in Gainesville. Homa was a defensive tackle last season but switched positions after the spring game, and Rosenberg is a local guy from Buchholz in Gainesville — he also has the best last name on the team (see byline).
Rounding out the group position room is true freshman Chase Stevens out of Vero Beach High School. He joined the team in the spring.
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Eight players in Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished the cycle ranked in the Top247.
247Sports updated its individual class of 2023 rankings, the Top247, one final time on Thursday, and the Florida Gators are bringing in a trio of top-100 recruits among plenty of other quality athletes.
Cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] leads the pack at No. 49 after moving up 23 spots following a strong postseason display at the Under Armour All-American game and practices. He’s the fourth-highest-rated cornerback in the class on 247Sports’ final board, and there’s plenty of reason to be excited about him as a Gator.
Defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] just missed out on the top 50 at No. 53 overall, but he almost made as big of a jump as Jackson, moving 21 spots up the Top247. Another All-American game standout, Collins also shined at the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game to help boost his stock. He and Jackson could get early looks on the field at Florida and both enrolled early at the university.
Defensive lineman [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] is the final Gators signee ranked in the top 100. Moving up 16 spots to No. 82 in the final Top247 update, James was one of the early gems Billy Napier and his recruiting staff identified and got to work on. He’s also enrolled early and set to be a part of a strong incoming defensive line class.
They rank wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] just outside of the top 100 at No. 108, up four spots from No. 112. He’ll be a major addition to a receivers room that’s losing a decent amount of talent to the transfer portal and draft. Offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] is next at No. 147, a one-spot improvement from the last update. The Florida State flip should be on the interior of Florida’s offensive line and joins the team as it loses four of five starters.
Rounding out the group is a trio of Gators signees that saw their rankings dip since the last update. Defensive back [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] dropped from No. 152 to No. 160, wide receiver [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] fell from No. 189 to No. 202 and edge rusher [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag] went from No. 234 to No. 244.
Mizell’s senior year ended before it began because of injury, so that’s not on him. Johnson actually improved in rating from a 93 to a 94, but that didn’t save him from others who made bigger jumps at the last minute.
In total, Florida had eight players crack the 2023 Top247 and plenty of other four-star recruits that sit just outside. Not to mention quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] who would have led the group at No. 44 overall had he not been released from his national letter of intent.
After the departure of Jaden Rashada, the Florida Gators have dropped outside the top ten in ESPN’s 2023 recruiting class rankings.
The Florida Gators have dropped outside of the top 10 in ESPN’s ranking of 2023 recruiting classes. The Orange and Blue’s incoming class rank went from No. 9 to No. 11, largely due to [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s departure from Florida’s class.
The Gators had been hovering around the top 10 of the recruiting rankings since July when a surge of commitments created a buzz around the Florida program and first-year head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. This was a stark contrast from the end of June when Napier penned an open letter to the Gator Nation, pleading for patience and trust in the process.
Napier was a fantastic recruiter at Louisiana, having the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt in all four seasons at the helm. But he didn’t do this alone. The addition of top-tier assistants such as assistant head coach and defense/cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag], co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag], and many more, have had a massive impact on the recruiting trail. Raymond is considered one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs developers in the nation.
The Gators were able to sign most of their 2023 commits during the early signing period in December. After the Rashada situation, Florida’s quarterback situation started to look murky, with [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] the lone scholarship quarterback from 2022 to remain on the roster. The arrival of [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] from Wisconsin creates some competition for the starting role.
Billy Napier has taken advantage of in-state talent with several Sunshine State pickups, assembling a strong secondary from that pool. The Gators have added several ESPN 300 DBs, including CBs [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and CB [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], who has good feet and brings a tough, scrappy demeanor. [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], who stayed on even after committing to the previous staff, projects to defensive back and can be a versatile player with his quickness and ball skills. [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], listed as an athlete, projects to WR and is a player who tests very well, which will translate to his play on the field. Adding more potential firepower to their passing attack is [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], a lengthy target with big-play speed. [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] is a nice addition to the trenches, as he has been a multiyear starter at IMG Academy and should come in ready to compete for playing time. The Gators also flipped ESPN 300 OG [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], a powerful and flexible big man who could work his way into the two-deep quickly, from Florida State. It is hard to win the SEC without being strong along the defensive front, and Collins leads a talented group of defensive linemen. Napier showed what he can do with a full cycle to work assembling one of the top classes in the country, but a late split with ESPN 300 QB Jaden Rashada still leaves a need under center.
The official national signing day is scheduled for Feb. 1, with most of the 2023 class deciding to enroll early and participate in spring practices.
Florida coaches were out and about earlier in the week, and a trio of them checked in with offensive line commit Caden Jones Monday.
A trio of Florida coaches visited De La Salle three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Caden Jones[/autotag], the lone unsigned commit in the 2023recruiting class, on Monday, according to 247Sports.
Jones committed after the early signing period, so he has to wait until national signing day to officially join the class. That means he could flip if another program pressed hard enough, which explains why Florida sent three staff members out to him once the contact period opened up.
Offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] and running backs coach/area recruiter [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] have taken point on this recruitment. Juluke’s ties to the state of Louisiana have come in hand plenty of times during the Billy Napier era at Florida, and Sale and Stapleton will be Jones’ position coaches once he gets on campus. Napier’s staff recruited Jones while ULL too, so Jones is quite familiar with the group.
They went out to visit Jones because he is unsure if he’ll be able to get back on campus before signing day with a loaded basketball schedule.
Jones will join fellow linemen [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Knijeah Harris [/autotag]and B[autotag]ryce Lovett[/autotag] in the class of 2023 and should help add some depth to a position room that just lost four starters.
Half of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class wound up in the On3 top 300 after the final update was released on Tuesday.
The Florida Gators already signed the bulk of its 2023 recruiting class, and the haul is looking even better than expected after On3 provided its last update to its independent rankings, the On300.
Ten of Florida’s signees cracked the top 300 and five players made it into the top 100.
Again, this is On3’s independent rankings, which is used to reach the more commonly cited On3 consensus or 247Sports composite rankings. Those are aggregate scores that use different formulas depending on the site and are used more often because they help eliminate any one service’s individual bias.
Several of Florida’s signees participated in All-Star games and boosted their stock with good performances against some of the top players in the class. The two most notable were cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], who each moved up over 50 spots to break into the top 50.
Here’s a look at where each Florida signee from the class of 2023 finished in the On300 rankings.
Take a look at the five incoming Gators who made the cut for SI’s elite list of recruits.
Florida football is coming off a solid showing on the recruiting front in Billy Napier’s first full year at the helm, cracking a few top-10 rankings while sitting just outside in others. So far, the culmination of the efforts exerted by the coaching staff have yielded some encouraging results in the 2023 cycle.
With the most recent class of prep prospects wrapped up, Sports Illustrated’s John Garcia Jr. ranked the top 99 recruits coming out of high school this year. The Gators were among the schools with the most entries notching five names on the list — tied with the USC Trojans and LSU Tigers for eighth most.
Take a look below at five of the Orange and Blue’s current committed recruits who cracked SI’s top 99 prospects in the 2023 class along with their numbers from the 247Sports composite as well as the On3 consensus.
Florida cracked ESPN’s top 10 programs in its recent recruiting rankings.
The Florida Gators are among ESPN’s list of the Top 75 college football teams, based on their 2023 recruiting efforts. The Orange and Blue’s incoming class ranked just inside the top 10, coming in at No. 9.
The Gators had been hovering around the top 10 of the recruiting rankings since July when a surge of commitments created a buzz around the Florida program and first-year head coach Billy Napier. This was a stark contrast from the end of June when Napier penned an open letter to the Gator Nation, pleading for patience and trust in the process.
Napier was a fantastic recruiter at Louisiana, having the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt in all four seasons at the helm. But he didn’t do this alone. The addition of top-tier assistants such as assistant head coach and defense/cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag], co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag], and many more, have had a massive impact on the recruiting trail. Raymond is considered one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs developers in the nation.
Here is what ESPN’s Craig Haubert had to say about including the Gators in his list of the top 75 college teams:
Billy Napier has taken advantage of in-state talent with several Sunshine State pickups, assembling a strong secondary from that pool. The Gators have added several ESPN 300 DBs, including CBs [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and CB [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], who has good feet and brings a tough, scrappy demeanor. [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], who stayed on even after committing to the previous staff, projects to defensive back and can be a versatile player with his quickness and ball skills. [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], listed as an athlete, projects to WR and is a player who tests very well, which will translate to his play on the field. Adding more potential firepower to their passing attack is [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], a lengthy target with big-play speed. Rashada hails from California but became a big in-state flip from Miami. With a smooth release and good arm strength, the newest Gator is one of the top QBs in the class. [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] is a nice addition to the trenches, as he has been a multiyear starter at IMG Academy and should come in ready to compete for playing time. They also flipped ESPN 300 OG [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], a powerful and flexible big man who could work his way into the two-deep quickly, from Florida State. It is hard to win the SEC without being strong along the defensive front, and Collins leads a talented group of defensive linemen.
Notably, [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s name is mentioned in Haubert’s write-up. Rashada, who signed his national letter of intent to play at the University of Florida back in December, has yet to enroll as a student despite expressing his intention to do so. The Rashada story is still developing and it is unclear if he will be on the roster come fall camp.
The official national signing day is scheduled for Feb. 1, with a portion of the 2023 class deciding to enroll early and participate in spring practices.
The Gators earned another commitment from the recruiting class of 2023. Offensive tackle Caden Jones is headed to Florida.
The Florida Gators earned a commitment from De La Salle (Louisiana) offensive tackle [autotag]Caden Jones[/autotag] on Saturday during the All-American Bowl broadcast.
Jones had reportedly locked in his decision ahead of time, but he made things official to the public during a planned announcement stating that he could “see the vision Coach Napier has for the future.” He is the fourth offensive line commit/signee in the 2023 class, joining [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag]. Greyshirt freshman Tony Livingston is joining the team as an offensive tackle too, so he should be Jones’ primary competition.
Of course, Florida is in dire need of offensive line depth. The team is returning just one starter, center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] has some starting experience at either tackle spot. Aside from any transfer portal additions, Florida will rely on first-time starters at the other three spots. [autotag]Richie Leonard[/autotag] is a candidate to earn time at either guard spot, and [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] played in the bowl game.
Jones won’t be the starting left tackle when September comes around, but he could be in a solid reserve spot after developing a bit over the summer.
The 247Sports composite gives him a three-star grade and ranks Jones No. 293 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 36 among offensive linemen. On3 is a bit more bullish on him, giving Jones the four-star nod and ranking him at No. 27 among those at his position.
Florida’s class of 2023 is almost ready to join the team, but a good chunk of the class still has one more game to play at the high school level.
Before they officially join the team in Gainesville, several of Florida’s signees from the class of 2023 will participate in high school All-Star games in January.
Nearly half the class will play in the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 3, including five-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], three-star lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully, Rashad and Wilson can link up at some point during the game to give Gators fans a preview of the dynamic connection headed to Hogtown.
On defense, four-star defensive linemen [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag] will join four-star safety [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], four-star defensive back [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] and four-star cornerbacks [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] on the field. With a bevy of defensive departures hitting the Gators this offseason, those players should have a decent shot at early playing time.
Then there’s the All-American Bowl on Jan. 7. Four-star Running back Treyaun Webb and four-star defensive lineman Kamran James will represent Florida during their final appearances at the high school level. Webb is a polished product despite splitting carries his senior year, so there’s not much to learn about him, but the staff and fans should get a clearer picture of where James stands as he competes against some of the top players in the country.
It’s almost time for the class of 2023 to transition to the next phase of their career, but it’s always nice to see these players get one last nod of recognition for their dominance at the prep level.
