Gators' Rob Sale Talks OL O’Cyrus Torrence, ‘He’s an Unbelievable Person'
Photo: O'Cyrus Torrence; Credit: Zach Goodall
Perhaps there's a reason why the Florida Gators seem to be firing on all cylinders in the early part of Billy Napier's reign as the team's new head coach.
The team has been working as a cohesive unit, by all accounts, since he stepped foot on campus and a lot of that is thanks to the familiarity he already has with his own staff - having worked with most of them in years prior.
The staff, though, hasn't been the only piece of the puzzle that's helped with some of the early rough patches that are typically seen in a rebuilding program. One of the foundational pieces has come via transfer, guard O'Cyrus Torrence, who played for Napier and both offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
Sale, who also is the team's offensive coordinator, believes Torrence is ahead of the curve and has quickly adapted to his new program, he shared with reporters on Saturday.
"Special young man, great player, good kid, great teammate, more importantly. The ceiling is high for him," Sale said.
"He’s got a lot of snaps and he’s familiar with the offense. Nothing has really changed. All the drills are the same and the way we have practice set up is the same. He hit the ground running more than any other player here, I would say."
That makes sense. Aside from running back Montrell Johnson and offensive tackle Kamryn Waites, both transfers from UL, Torrence has the most experience within this system. Still, being a couple of years their senior, he does have the most experience within the Florida offensive system out of any player in the program.
But, what Torrence brings on the field, something that Sale and the rest of the Florida staff clearly feel is plenty, might pale in comparison to what he can bring within the film room, and as a teammate and leader for this young Florida team.
“Yeah, when it comes to watching film with a guy or two. He’ll maybe grab a guy and we can force that," Sale said when asked if Torrence can be used as an extension of the coaching staff in a way. "We’re fortunate to have enough meeting time and enough O-line coaches and help around to where they’re getting the information. They can get it 1-on-1, 2-on-2."
Though Torrence has plenty of versatility to play both inside and out, Sale says the team is focused on him playing guard for now.
"He took a little tackle at UL, not much because we had some guys there at that spot. He can go out there and play. He’s really effective on the inside," said Sale. "We’ve got, right now, I’d say probably three or four tackles that can play and we’ve got to get them to play better."
Florida is heading into the season with a few players brought back as tackles that played last year including Richard Gouriage, Michael Tarquin, and added with Waites. The team also could potentially use guard Joshua Braun in a tackle role moving forward, something to continue watching as spring moves forward.
Torrence was highly coveted as a transfer out of UL. He was being courted by plenty of teams heavily, says Sale, but ultimately it was relationships that led to Torrence ending up in Gainesville. The familiarity with the coaching staff, and the love he and the team had for each other, ultimately won.
"For him to be able to come to the University of Florida and he knows the way we practice, he knows what drill is going next, he knows all of the verbiage. So he’s able to play fast and put good tape out for next year, that was the biggest thing," Sale explained.
"That and the relationship. There’s a lot of people that were at UL that are in this building. So there’s a lot of people here that support. He’s an unbelievable person and teammate.”
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