The SEC dominates most preseason All-American rosters, but the Florida Gators aren’t exactly stocked with the talent they’re used to having. Just one Gator made the CBS Sports 2022 Preseason All-America second team, and it’s an offensive lineman who wasn’t even in Gainesville a year ago, Louisiana transfer [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag].
Torrence was one of three Ragin’ Cajuns that followed [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] to Florida. He joined [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] as the newest additions to the Gators and has been considered a team leader since arriving. A four-year player, Torrence has come to the SEC to prove himself before entering his name into the draft pool and hopes to rack up as many accolades as he can. A preseason second-team nod is a good start, and there’s plenty of room to surprise people.
Despite his high ratings in the transfer portal and obvious interest from many Power Five programs, many still consider Torrence an underrated player. He allowed just three pressures last season in over 320 passing plays, so the numbers are there but playing in the Group of Five leaves questions for many at the next level.
The SEC doesn’t have that problem. Look no further than the makeup of the CBS Sports All-America teams for confirmation. Eighteen of 54 players across both rosters are on an SEC program. Surprisingly, not a single one of the five first-team offensive linemen hail from the conference. A big year on the ground from Florida/Torrence could change that.
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