How Gator Ties Are Fueling Florida OL TJ Shanahan Jr. Ahead of 2026 Season

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- While offensive lineman TJ Shanahan Jr. is a newcomer for the Florida Gators, he knows better than most what it means to be a Gator.

He remembers when he first fell in love with the program as he watched from the sidelines as his cousin, former UF offensive lineman Jon Halapio, practiced.

"I grew up watching him. I remember I came to a spring game like his freshman or sophomore year," Shanahan Jr. said. "I just fell in love with being a Florida Gator.”

It took time to officially become one, however.

A five-star offensive lineman out of Austin (Tex.) Westlake in the class of 2023, Shanahan Jr. was initially recruited by former UF offensive line coach John Hevesy and then-head coach Dan Mullen. When both were fired in 2021 — Hevesy, midway through the season, and Mullen, with one game left in the regular season — the recruitment with Florida slowed down.

A year later, the Orlando native, Florida fan and Gator legacy ended up at Texas A&M.

"The coaching staff change happened. I never really heard that much from Billy (Napier)," Shanahan Jr. said. "I didn’t know who the offensive line coach was at the time.”

Fortunately for Shanahan Jr., and eventually for the Gators, that path set him on a trajectory to emerge as a headlining feature on Florida's offensive line going into the 2026 season. Two coaches with Gator ties helped.

Former Florida offensive lineman Jon Halapio is TJ Shanahan Jr.'s cousin. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The offensive line coach at Texas A&M that 2023 season was former UF offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Steve Addazio, who won two national titles with the program before becoming a head coach at Temple, Boston College and Colorado State. While a torn ACL ended his first season, which saw Addazio and the rest of the staff fired at the end of the season, before it began, he returned to play in 10 games in 2024 with five starts under Mike Elko's staff.

While he decided to leave, that season taught him he could be a consistent starter at a big school. He just needed to find the right place to do it. Playing under Addazio also taught him what kind of coach he was looking for, and it led him to one of Addazio's former players: Phil Trautwein, then the offensive line coach at Penn State.

"When I got into the portal from Texas A&M I wanted to find a coach very similar to (Addazio), very technical and kind of by the book with technique and how to play the offensive line. It’s a very technical position," Shanahan Jr. said. "... I was able to find Coach Trautwein at Penn State so it was just a blessing for him. He coaches me really hard. I just think he’s the best there is."

At Penn State, Shanahan Jr. emerged at guard and one of the top offensive linemen on a struggling Nittany Lions team that saw head coach James Franklin fired midway through the season, finishing the season inside the top-100 FBS guards with a 75.1 pass block grade in 2025, per PFF, and zero sacks during the regular season.

Shanahan Jr. credited Trautwein for keeping the program stable through the coaching change, especially as reports circulated that Trautwein was interviewing for a job at Florida. However, Shanahan Jr. knew from his first interactions with Trautwein that him leaving for Gainesville was a possibility.

“It's funny. So whenever I was on my visit to Penn State, he told me up front, and he said, ‘I'm not gonna lie, there's one job that I would leave this place for, and it's the University of Florida.' And I kind of knew that just knowing his background and stuff with him playing here and the love that he has for this place.”

Shanahan Jr. also saw it as an opportunity to complete his dream if Trautwein wanted him. Thankfully, he did. Once Trautwein was at Florida, Shanahan Jr. entered the portal, not needing to be convinced of where his next stop would be. On Jan. 6, Shanahan Jr. committed to Florida.

“I’m not gonna lie, nothing," Shanahan Jr. said when asked if he needed to see anything from a visit before committing. "I knew I was coming here. I was just ready to get to work.”

Florida Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is already making an immediate impact in recruiting. — Florida Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein returns after playing for the Gators previously. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Seven months later, Shanahan Jr. is donning the same No. 67 his cousin wore from 2009-13. He is also emerging as one of Florida's toughest players. Sumrall praised Shanahan Jr. last month at SEC Media Day for setting the tone during summer workouts as he emerges as the favorite to be the Gators' right guard.

Shanahan Jr. credits that toughness to his family as well as Trautwein's and Sumrall's coaching. Shanahan Jr. said Trautwein is holding the unit to an extra standard due to his history with the program as a two-time national champion.

"He told us probably a week ago that, at the end of the day, he's gonna do what he has to do for the University of Florida, and I totally agree with him because I feel the same way about growing up and being a fan here," he said. "But he played here and he won here, so like he knows what it takes. And he said, at the end of the day, he's doing what he has to do for this place, because that's how much this place means. He told us when he was at Penn State, he was always rooting for Florida.”

There also was the challenge Sumrall gave the offensive line after spring camp to step up.

That has fueled Shanahan Jr. to step up despite being new to the team. Over the summer, the offensive line has made considerable improvements in the weight room as contenders emerge for starting positions on the line.

Shanahan Jr. has been at the forefront of those changes.

"We did a bunch of extra work after practice and stuff like that. He’s a guy who’s all the way in on football," fellow transfer Harrison Moore said. "Not a lot of guys are 100% bought in, but he’s somebody that I’ve seen on this team that just, I mean every day he brings it because all he cares about is football. All he wants to do is be the best version of himself and that’s been really good for me, just pushing me to be my best.”

Only time will tell if Shanahan Jr. can continue his upward trajectory and help lead Florida's revamped offensive line. His competitiveness and personal history with the program may be the reason he can do so.

“It was a big thing for me coming here," he said. "... I’m really blessed to be a Florida Gator.”

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