OL Micah Mazzccua Standing Out in Gators Camp, 'Got Some Freakin’ Dog In Him'
Photo: Micah Mazzccua (No. 54) and members of UF's offense; Credit: Florida Gators creative media
One of Florida's prized offseason transfer acquisitions was, in a way, brought in to replace one of Florida's prized offseason transfer acquisitions from a year ago.
Not to a T — Micah Mazzccua is expected to play left guard, opposite of O'Cyrus Torrence's right guard spot. But their additions to Florida's roster, and more specifically offensive line, have been considered instrumental through Billy Napier's first two offseason cycles in Gainesville.
Both players filled a glaring need, had ample snaps under their belt from their previous collegiate stop and fit the offense that Napier deploys with the Gators.
"Mazzccua, he’s played a little bit more football than the others," Napier noted on Saturday, referencing the trio of offensive line transfers Florida welcomed this offseason.
"But, you know, he’s 6-[foot]-4 and three quarters, 320 pounds and really can move, plays well in the second level, good demeanor about him, big football IQ is there; been pleased with how he’s picked things up. Lot of carryover there, systematic."
Torrence, of course, followed Napier directly from the University of Louisiana to UF in Jan. 2022. The transition from the Sun Belt Conference to the SEC affected Torrence minimally, if at all: He declared for the 2023 NFL Draft after his lone season with the Gators and maintains a near-consensus first-round projection.
Mazzccua comes from a similar blocking scheme, Napier suggested, and like Torrence, he has quickly ascended Florida's depth chart upon joining the team. Following the departures of Torrence and left tackle Richard Gouraige to the draft, as well as left guard Ethan White and right tackle Michael Tarquin's transfers to Southern Cal, Mazzccua's experience provided him an immediate boost.
“Micah is very, kind of like Cybo [Torrence] when it comes to you can teach a concept one time and he has it," Florida offensive line coach Rob Sale described of Mazzccua. "Some guys got to take notes, write it down, do a walkthrough. Micah kind of just looks at you and goes ‘Alright.' You think, ‘Do you got it or not?' You know, he’s like, ‘I got it’ and sure enough, he gets it."
Not to mention, Mazzccua produced strong film during his time with the Bears and has impressed physically in the early days of Gators' spring camp.
Across 898 snaps between the 2021-22 seasons, a stretch in which he started ten games, Mazzccua allowed just one sack and 14 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He earned a run-blocking grade of 76.9 out of 100 as a first-teamer, considered an above-average mark.
"He got some freakin’ dog in him," Sale said.
His new teammates agree.
“He’s definitely a firecracker, for sure," said center Kingsley Eguakun. "He’s a good guy though. I like Mike. He wants to get better, which I appreciate. He’s a good player. He’ll be a good player for us.”
“He’s one of those guys. He’s going to do it until we do it right," running back Trevor Etienne echoed. "I was messing with him one day and he got in his stance. I was like, ‘why are you so low?’ He was like, ‘you don’t worry about what I do. Just run the ball.’ I was like, you got it.”
Florida's offense is going to look a lot different in Napier's second season at the helm, following a mass exodus of players to the draft and to the portal. Mazzccua, with tackles Damieon George Jr. and Kiyaunta Goodwin, was brought in to ensure the Gators' offensive line remains a strength despite the loss of four starters from 2022.
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