Florida Gators 2022 Positional Outlook: Offensive Line
Billy Napier's first offseason in charge of Florida Gators football is sure to be a busy and exciting one.
With roster reconstruction already underway via recruiting and the transfer portal, the next step in preparing for his first season as Florida's head coach will focus on identifying and developing talent already on the roster, and determining how to use it best in 2022.
In order to best preview the Gators' upcoming spring camp and the season to come, AllGators is taking a look at each position on the roster to recognize the strengths and weaknesses at each spot, as well as put together early projections of individual depth charts.
RELATED: Gators 2022 positional outlooks
After breaking down each skill position on this side of the ball, we'll wrap up the offensive positional outlooks by taking a look at the Gators' offensive line.
Gators 2022 offensive line outlook
One of the biggest positional question marks during Dan Mullen's tenure as Florida's head coach was the offensive line, for numerous reasons.
The Gators only managed to sign five top-300 offensive linemen, per the 247Sports Composite, in four recruiting classes under Mullen. The highest-rated (Richard Gouraige) was a Jim McElwain commit, the next-highest (Issiah Walker) left the program before his first spring practice began, and the third-best (Joshua Braun) flipped to Florida from Georgia at the last second only because his Bulldogs' position coach left the school to become the head coach at Arkansas.
The other two top linemen signees have yet to ascend beyond backup status.
And when it came to the play of the unit itself, results were up and down, to say the least.
Run blocking prowess was non-existent in the Gators' 2019 and 2020 seasons, although pass protection was up to par and allowed quarterback Kyle Trask the time he needed in the pocket to emerge as a Heisman Trophy finalist before his UF career was over. Protection took a step back in 2021 while run blocking improved, which meshed with quarterback Emory Jones' strengths as a dual-threat passer who was able to handle pressure on his own via his feet.
It's safe to say that Napier will aim to build a more cohesive unit that can adequately run and pass block consistently. In order to get to that point, he's split coaching responsibilities up front by hiring two offensive line assistants to develop the group in Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
Sale and Stapleton have inherited a group that possesses some potential, no doubt, but is in dire need of an infusion of talent and further development. Perhaps the best news for the two coaches is that their projected starting lineup for the 2022 season is filled with ample experience.
Gouraige, 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, has returned for a fifth season at UF, and he is likely to start for a third full season in a row and his second at left tackle. Braun, 6-foot-6, 357 pounds, appears ready to step into the starting lineup on a full-time basis as well, having appeared in 24 games in his two-year career and making seven starts between left and right guard along the way, impressing almost every time he took the field.
Ethan White, 6-foot-5, 334 pounds, and Kingsley Eguakun, 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, should also hold onto starting roles on the Gators' interior line.
Eguakun was a surprise breakout player for Florida in 2021, developing from a lower-rated recruit into the team's starting center and having no problems with snapping or communication as the leader of the unit. White, meanwhile, emerged as a starter last season after flashing potential while cutting his weight down significantly over his first two years with the program, although several injuries have hampered his availability over the years.
The unit did receive a major upgrade this offseason via the transfer of O'Cyrus Torrence. The 6-foot-5, 335-pound guard was a three-year starter under Napier at Louisiana and emerged as one of the nation's top offensive linemen rather immediately in his career. He has yet to allow a sack in 36 games and is a two-time Joe Moore Award Semifinalist (2020-21).
Early 2022 depth chart projection
Starters (from left tackle through right tackle): Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, O'Cyrus Torrence, Joshua Braun
Key backups: Michael Tarquin (swing tackle), Richie Leonard IV (swing interior lineman)
Reserves: Austin Barber, Will Harrod, Yousef Mugharbil, Riley Simonds, Jake Slaughter, Kamryn Waites, Jalen Farmer, David Conner, Christian Williams
We expect the left side of the Gators' offensive line through the center position to remain the same in 2022 as it was in 2021, whereas, the right side of the line will undergo some change following Stewart Reese and Jean Delance's departure from the program.
Torrence is a plug-and-play prospect at right guard as he's been one of the nation's best at the position for several years now under Napier, Sale and Stapleton's guidance. Although Braun has been groomed as the heir to Reese at right guard, Torrence is an ideal fit for the position given his experience within the scheme and at the spot.
However, Braun has proven himself as worthy to become a full-time starter. We tend to believe the Gators will move Braun to right tackle to fill in for Delance as such, and it helps that Braun played the position significantly during his time in high school. In fact, he played every position on the line except center during his prep days, suggesting that he is versatile enough to move wherever the coaching staff believes he'd fit in.
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