Gators OL O'Cyrus Torrence Earns Walter Camp All-America First Team Honors
Photo: Billy Napier and O'Cyrus Torrence; Credit: Alex Shepherd
O'Cyrus Torrence will be permanently enshrined in Florida football history with a brick outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, as the Gators offensive lineman was named to the Walter Camp All-American First Team on Thursday evening, the Walter Camp Football Foundation announced.
Torrence is the first Florida player to earn a spot on the Walter Camp All-America First Team since tight end Kyle Pitts in 2020, the Gators' first offensive lineman on the list since Maurkice Pouncey in 2009 and the 31st player to claim the honor in school history.
One of Billy Napier's prized transfer additions in his first offseason as head coach, Torrence quickly emerged as Florida's right guard for the 2022 season after holding down the same role for Napier in three years at Louisiana.
He never looked back.
Torrence continued his unheard-of streak of consecutive games without a sack through his 11 appearances with the Gators, individually keeping his quarterback upright across 46 starts and 47 appearances dating back to his debut with the Ragin' Cajuns in 2019.
Pro Football Focus credits Torrence as the highest-graded qualifying guard in the FBS for his 88.2 offensive grade in 2022.
Torrence declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Sunday and won't play in the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon State on December 17, Napier shared on Thursday, acknowledging that Torrence had earned strong grades from pro evaluators.
"He's obviously accepted a Senior Bowl invite," Napier said, "you know, he's moved forward.
"This guy's played probably, I don't know, 3,000-plus snaps in his career, right? So, four years of good football. Proven player and much like [linebacker] Ventrell [Miller], you know, been through been banged up at times. So, you know, very understandable and a guy that did a phenomenal job for us this year."
Third-year sophomore Richie Leonard IV, Torrence's season-long backup who logged 222 offensive snaps this year, will be expected to start in the All-American's place in the Las Vegas Bowl.
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