Gators OL Richard Gouraige Talks "Coach" O'Cyrus Torrence, Leadership Role
ATLANTA - It hasn't taken long for Florida Gators transfer offensive lineman O'Cyrus Torrence to make a lasting impression on his new teammates.
In an interview on Wednesday during the SEC Media Days, fellow Florida lineman Richard Gouriage had nothing but praise to give the transfer out of Louisiana. The two have made a bond since he arrived on campus prior to spring, earlier this year.
"First off, Coach O'Cyrus is a great player. I'm glad he's on my team. He makes our job a lot easier," said Gouraige when asked if Torrence was almost like a coach within the program. "I feel bad for the defense. Having him on the team has been phenomenal. Great player, great character. No complaints about him."
For the first few weeks of Torrence's arrival to Gainesville, Gouraige and the rest of the o-linemen became sponges, soaking up all of the knowledge of the team's offense that they could. Torrence, of course, was with head coach Billy Napier over the past two years at UL and has an intimate understanding of what Florida wants to get done.
"The more we got closer, he would tell me his tendencies and what not to do. So, it's always good to piggyback from different offensive linemen and try to increase my game, and I can definitely increase his."
Torrence is expected to be one of the top offensive linemen in the country this season. His progress made while at UL, starting as a true freshman in 2020 and continuing throughout his sophomore season, was noted by plenty of talent evaluators, with some having him as one of the most impactful OL transfers in college football this year.
That sort of guidance and helping each other is appreciated by Gouraige, who is making significant progress himself as a redshirt senior, earning the starting nod at Florida for two years in a row, including all 12 games last year at left tackle.
Now, the veteran tackle is embracing the expansion of his role as a leader of the program, coming to SEC Media Days for the first time in his career, an experience he called "a blessing."
"I'm still shaking," Gouraige said when asked about his first SEC Media Days.
"It's truly a blessing. Just hearing from the guys that they call me as a leader on this team because I work my tail off. And there's no better feeling than the guys awarding you and telling you, 'This guy is a leader and this guy does everything right.' It's a great feeling. I'm so happy to be here."
Part of being a leader is to get the rest of the players to continue to buy into the program. That's doubly important this year for Florida as a brand-new coaching staff enters the forray, including head coach Billy Napier and offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
For Torrence, it was easy to get him to buy in, particularly because he feels the coaches always have a plan.
"They all have a plan, and as long as everybody buys in and does their part, we should be successful."
Gouraige's focus this year has been on his leadership, especially for the younger players on the team. That leadership plan includes not just the young offensive linemen such as freshman Jalen Farmer, but also for other players on the roster like the third-string quarterback or even a backup kicker.
"You never know who we might need. So I've definitely been working on my leadership. Communication is very key, just trying to upbring the freshmen."
It's fair to say that Gouraige is taking the leadership role offered to him and running with it. With high expectations for Florida this season, the program will need all the help they can get from that front.
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