Stewart Reese Providing Versatility, Leadership to Florida Gators OL
Having spent two seasons under Dan Mullen and John Hevesy's tutelage at Mississippi State, graduate student offensive lineman Stewart Reese transferred to Florida this summer to join Hevesy's unit up front.
Reese, a towering lineman standing 6-5, 360 lbs., has 37 starts under his belt and offers Florida stability across the unit. Not only has Reese played in an ample amount of games, but he's spent time at both guard and tackle in his career and can fill in at either position should Hevesy look to move him around.
"As big as he is he's a very versatile guy," Hevesy said of Reese on Tuesday, speaking with the media via Zoom. "So he's able to do both, and been playing both, so it's a good thing for us to have, it's a good problem."
Reese has spent his entire career on the right side of the offensive line, transitioning primarily to guard during his redshirt junior season (72.7% of snaps inside versus outside) and improving his performance in pass protection along the way. According to Pro Football Focus, Reese allowed pressure on 3.6% of his 222 pass-blocking snaps in 2019, compared to 6.29% on 350 pass-blocking snaps in 2018, all at right tackle.
With three years of experience playing in the SEC, Reese has emerged as a leader on Florida's offensive line for younger players, Hevesy made note of.
"I think the one thing with him is just bringing in his personality, is, there's no ego with Stewart at all," said Hevesy. "Stu having three years in this league, to go down and say "Hey, here's more stories, here's different things, different perspective on what it is to play in this league'... They can watch him because he doesn't have an ego to say 'I'm here for this, I'm here for that', they can talk to him, and he'll talk, he'll give them everything he's got so they can learn from him, which has been great to have."
Florida enters the 2020 season hoping for more cohesion along its offensive line, yearning for developing in the unit's run blocking after struggles a year ago. The line returns four multi-game starters from a season ago in Stone Forsythe, Brett Heggie, Richard Gouriage, and Jean Delance, along with second-year lineman Ethan White, who earned key snaps down the stretch and has competed at center this fall.
The unit should naturally improve with ample starting experience and continually-built chemistry, but how much the incumbents have improved individually has yet to be seen on tape. Reese is sure to help Florida's line take the next step based on his tape over the past three years, providing an upgrade wherever Hevesy sees fit, and offering his knowledge to the young depth behind the starting line.
Hevesy made note that freshman offensive lineman Joshua Braun, 6-6, 347 lbs., presents a similar prospect. Braun played every position except center in high school, enrolled early, and has taken on the guard position to start before eventually learning a second spot.
"To me, I think as we progress, he’ll have the ability, obviously, to do both," Hevesy claimed regarding Braun. "Really not much different than Stewart was. Stewart played tackle to start. Stewart redshirted, and then played tackle but can do both. Josh is obviously new this year. The rules and what you have this year, he can really soak in one thing and see what he can do. And then to me as we progress through this year, move him around.”
